**2.4 Early-access games testing: playtesting, QA, UX**

This activity aims at testing games at the end of their development. Each student should work as both a tester and an observer, that is, to try testing from both sides. Since three types of testing play a role at the end of game development, students work with all three: *playtesting*, *usability testing*, and *bugfixing* (QA).

**Figure 5.** *Paper & Lego prototypes activity in the classroom.*

**Figure 6.** *Example of game screenplay on paper prototype (Slovak menu).*

**Goal:** Practice the role of playtester and observer, achieve the best gaming and user experience, game debugging.

**Resources:** Computer, computer game. **Testing:** Playtesting, Usability Testing, Quality Assurance (QA). **Methods:** Questionnaire (SUS), thinking out loud, reporting. **Length:** 180–240 minutes.

This activity can have two versions. If students create their games on the course, they test them among each other. If the course has an early-access game available, students test it and report it to the game developers. If possible, students get feedback on their testing from real game developers.

**Steps in playtesting of early-access games:**

	- The positives of the gaming experience.
	- The negatives of the gaming experience.
	- Other observations.

## **Steps in playtesting of student games:**

