Written by: Michael W Pitts

Foreword from Tabletop Creator:

Designing a board game is exciting—it starts with a spark of an idea, a theme you can’t shake, or a mechanic you can’t wait to explore. But once the pieces are on the table and the rules are written, there’s a moment every creator faces: Is this game actually fun to play?

That’s where playtesting comes in. It’s one of the most important (and sometimes scariest) parts of making a tabletop game. You’re letting other people into your creative process, handing them your rough ideas, and saying: Tell me what works. And what doesn’t.

But playtesting isn’t just about catching mistakes or balancing mechanics. It’s about discovering how others experience your game. It’s about finding moments of joy, confusion, laughter, or tension that you didn’t expect. It’s about shaping something that other people genuinely want to play—and play again.

Massive thanks to Michael for writing this. If you’re designing a game—or thinking about starting—this short article is worth your time. And remember to join Pop-Up Playtests’ Discord server to discover monthly online board game focused events!

---

Playtesting, What, Why and How

What is a Playtest?

Playtesting is when you, the developer, seek out others to provide feedback and insight on your game during its development by playing your game. It is an essential part of the game design process, ensuring that the game you create is enjoyable for groups beyond just yourself.

Below, I’ll provide brief insights into why playtesting is valuable, how to find playtesters (based on my experience), and how to make playtesting worth the time and effort.

Why Playtest? ¿Does it improve your board game?

So, you’re a designer. You have a vision—something you want to bring to life. In this case, it’s a tabletop game. Having the drive to create something for yourself is great, and as an artist, I do this every day. However, we’re talking about making a game for a small group of players (probably) to enjoy together. Since every person is different, it’s important to consider the viewpoints and feedback of others so you can create a game that appeals to more than just yourself.

Playtesting helps with balancing, refining design choices, and much more. Playtesting is the lifeblood of creating a fun, engaging game that people want to play more than once. It provides invaluable data and insight that can help you develop your game for your intended audience. It can also reveal things you hadn’t noticed before, assist with balancing, and even introduce new ideas that playtesters might suggest—the list goes on!

To summarize why playtesting is important to improve your board game:

• Helps provide insight as to what others perceive as fun.
• Allows you to see your game in action, which helps with balancing and game design.
• Opens the door for new ideas, different viewpoints, and reveals design flaws you may not have noticed before.

How to Playtest?

Now that we understand what playtesting is and why it matters, how do we go about getting playtesters? What do we do during playtesting? Finding playtesters can be challenging for some. In my experience, one of the best ways to find playtesters is by engaging with others who share similar interests in the right communities.

Play other people’s games. Show interest in their projects. Socialize! Building relationships within the community will naturally lead to playtesting opportunities.

Once you have playtesters, the next step is to create some guidelines for your testing sessions. Clearly state what you’re trying to test and have pre-made decks or game setups ready. This way, both you and your testers will have a goal, and post-playtest discussions will be more focused and productive. Remember, a playtest is not a challenge. Do not use playtesting as an excuse just to play your game. Stick to the test guidelines, discuss findings afterward, and then move on to the next playtest.

To summarize:

• Organically find playtesters by engaging with others and playing their games.
• Create guidelines for each playtest to stay on task and gather data you need.
• Don’t turn playtests into competitions—if you focus on “winning,” you risk driving playtesters away.

Playtesting… ¿Yes or no?

I hope everyone interested gained some insight on my unprofessional, but gained through observation, wisdom.

Playtesting is a very powerful tool for developers. It allows other people to give feedback for a game YOU created. The entire experience can be fulfilling, especially when you start seeing others start to enjoy and look forward to playing your games. Tabletop games are social by nature. They are a great tool to meet new people, make new friends, and gather essential feedback to make your games fun for a wider audience.

More articles about playtesting here!