Playtesting Report

For the two rounds of play testing, I approached a couple of peers who were open to trying out the game. The informal playtest was conducted remotely over Discord, with screen share enabled so that I may see the players interacting with the game. Afterwards, the players shared feedback in terms of how they view the characters, the story, the gameplay, and the overall takeaway (messaging) that they garnered from the experience. 

Goal

The goal of this playtest was to evaluate the gameplay in relation to if the desired messaging was met. It hopes to investigate what emotions players experienced, and how these emotions affected player action. Once players experience the consequences of said actions, what was their response? 

As stated in the game documentation, the desired outcomes are as follows:

• The goal is to have players empathize with the shapes and choose to help them, even when the game punishes them for it.
• game is a reflection of power structures and the dynamics that exist between the authority and those it governs, and one’s resistance vs. compliance with those in power. 

First Round 

Playtester Kamille: Key Observations

• The play tester was especially engaged with the “Mother” character, claiming that they make her feel “cosy, like I wish I could talk to her”. 
• Instinct is strong to approach Mother, and “feels bad” when Mother is disappointed.
• Play tester noticed that even though the character doesn’t have memory of its past, they are still attuned to the character’s feelings and gets a sense of their personality or character.
• Play tester also observed that Mother’s dialogue leads one to feel suspicious of her, despite her coddling demeanour. They noticed Mother’s use of possessive language. 
• Seeing the cage made the play tester think “is this place is okay?”
• Play tester’s first instinct was to first place the fruits in the basket, as it was “more convenient” and there wasn’t a strong enough incentive to give fruit to the cages. 
• Player considers if it is worth it to give the fruit to the cages.
• Player seeks compromise— an ending where they are able to give fruit to both the cages and Mother.
• Once Mother gets angry at the player, then there is incentive to give fruits to cages, after confirming that Mother is indeed suspicious and untrustworthy.

Playtester Takeaways

• Play tester Kamille’s focus is on the idea of Relationships and Connection.
• “Relationships take effort and intent”
• For their experience with the game, a lot of consideration was placed on who they chose to be close to (either the caged creatures or Mother). It is an evaluation of what kind of relationships they could have with the characters. 
• They explore the potentiality of acting “like a mother figure to them (the caged)” or to become a part of Mother’s family, who appears to desire companionship. 

Playtester Luke: Key Observations

• For the play tester, they were not compelled enough to give fruit to the cages. They asked the question, is there a reward or incentive when I give the fruit?
• If Mother is upset, there is impetus to give fruit to the caged out of spite instead of compassion.
• From a gameplay perspective, playtester opens the idea of different incentives depending on the choices the character makes in the game. (For example, giving fruits in baskets will make the player slightly faster.)
• There is also some confusion as to the sight capabilities of the guards; the player is confused whether or not the guard is activated and if they are able to detect the player.
• Player also noted that it would be good to have more pronounced feedback when the fruit is placed in the cage or basket.

Response to First Round of Playtesting

• One key observation that I wanted to respond to was the lack of compulsion to aid the caged creatures. In order to address this, I added a dialogue option to interact with the creatures so that players may get to know them more and perhaps be more compelled to help them. 

• I’ve also added the option to interact with Mother (while the player isn’t holding fruit), since some players have expressed wanting to approach her.

• In order to further refine the stealth gameplay mechanic, I’ve turned off guard sight when the player is only walking around. Once the player picks up the fruit a dialogue box pops out that signals the player to move more quickly and hide from Mother. Furthermore, picking up the fruit activates the guards’ sight cones to a bright orange colour so that players can better identify which way guards are facing and to avoid their sight. When the player drops the fruit, the sight cones turn completely off. 

Second Round

Playtester Andie: Key Observations

• In terms of gameplay, the play tester is not clear on the detection aspect. Do the guards detect based on your distance from the basket? Do the guards detect when you are approaching the cages?
• They express that the graphics are cute and ending paths were clear.
• The play tester was especially interested in the story of the world and its characters. They expressed wanting to know the backstories of characters and the relevance of the caged creatures to the player (since they appear to look similar). “Why is Mother freaky?”
• She feels that although Mother is “pretty” and appears kind on the surface, there is a certain level of suspicion. In regards to Mother asking very specific commands, they say that it made them want to go against her wishes. 
• Mother’s dialogue felt “off” to the play tester, and therefore “piqued their curiosity” to learn more about Mother and her intentions.
• The play tester reflected on moral compulsion (to help the caged creatures) versus “gamer goals”, and expresses that a person who plays and understands game goals will be more compelled to activate the ending that leads to the stealth mechanic (stealing the fruit), instead of feeling compelled to help out of compassion. 

Playtester Takeaways

• Playtester Andie’s key impressions were especially close to the desired message takeaways as outlined in the beginning of this inquiry. 
• They felt that the message was about “going against the system” and how “moral compass trumps the rules, especially when the rules aren’t intended for good.” 
• They express that the game is about how some systems are harmful and that “we should be thinking about that.” 

After evaluating play tester responses, the final conclusion was made in the Game Documentation.