Lucky shares his personal experience about why playtesting is so important. He believes playtests can actually be one of the best investments to make a game more fun and clearer for players. But what does he mean by that? Let’s break it down!
Don’t Get Trapped by Assumptions
In one of his reels, lucky_holmes_ shared a story that serves as a valuable lesson for game developers.
He explained that developers often feel their game is already simple, clear, and easy to play. But don’t get trapped in your own assumptions! What feels obvious inside a developer’s mind doesn’t always feel obvious to players.
View this post on Instagram
Lucky told a story about when he once made a platformer game that he thought was already super intuitive. The controls felt easy to him, the level design seemed straightforward, and the hints were clear enough. But when the game was released, the outcome was far from what he expected.
Many players were confused about how to play. Controls that he thought were comfortable turned out to be frustrating. And some people couldn’t even finish the game because the levels were way too hard.
Developer Bias vs Player Perspective
From that experience, Lucky realized that as developers, we often have a bias toward our own creations. Things make sense to us because we built them. But to players, who don’t have the same knowledge, the information might not connect at all.
Players come in fresh, without context. If a game isn’t intuitive, they’ll quickly run into problems. That’s why Lucky emphasizes that playtesting is crucial.
Playtesting isn’t just some formality, it’s the process of making sure the game can really be enjoyed by others. Without playtesting, developers are basically playing inside their own heads. And the final result can end up way off from the kind of “fun” that players expect.
Also read! Do You Need to Know How to Code to Make a Game? Not Necessarily!
Playtesting as an Investment?
Nowadays, Lucky always runs playtests from the prototype stage all the way through later versions. Through this, he gets to see whether the game is fun, intuitive, clear, and truly comfortable to play. Playtesting gives real feedback, and not just assumptions.
According to him, playtesting isn’t a waste of time or something trivial to skip. Instead, it’s an investment that ensures a game reaches players in its best condition.
In big studios, playtesting is often mandatory. But Bang Lucky says smaller teams actually need it even more.
With limited resources, taking the wrong direction can waste months or years of work. Early playtests can save tons of time, energy, and money.
Insights from Playtests
From Lucky’s own experience, playtesting revealed insights he never would have noticed if he only played the game himself. Levels that looked easy turned out to trap players, or tutorials that seemed clear ended up confusing people. All this feedback became the foundation for making a better game.
Playtests also build a bridge between developers and players. Watching players’ live reactions, developers can see what makes them laugh, frustrates them, and what bores them. These are things you can’t ever learn just from assumptions.
For Lucky Holmes, this is the essence of playtesting! Making games more welcoming and fun. Not just for the developer, but for everyone who plays.
After all, the goal of creating a game isn’t just for ourselves. It’s to be played and enjoyed by others. That’s why playtesting must be an essential part of every development process.
Also read! Making Your First Game? Avoid These 3 Fatal Mistakes!
Don’t Skip It!
The main takeaway is simple, never skip playtesting! No matter how good your coding, design, or art skills are, it won’t matter if the game isn’t enjoyable for players. Through playtesting, developers can step outside their own bias and see the game as it truly is.
As Lucky himself says, we don’t make games just for ourselves, we make them for people to play. So don’t treat playtesting as a burden! Treat it as the foundation of the development process.
Because at the end of the day, success in general is born from real feedback, not personal assumptions.