A number of Testers individually play-test your game and become familiar with its gameplay, then they play it again while also conducting our Playability Test. The test grades areas of your game based on our Playability Model and six Playability Facets. Their combined efforts result in each facet getting a grade and all grades determining the Playability Number.

 Each playability test generates the current Playability number. The number and the green area represent the current test’s playability number. If a previous playability test was conducted, this is shown with the white outline. Playability tests can also be conducted in concept or prototype phase giving developers a goal number to develop towards. This is represented by the pale green/yellow.

The Playability Number is not a review number (like what a gaming website or blog would post). It shows how much the game shares with what players would consider a ‘perfect’ game of the genre. The final number provided is not an average of the facets of Playability. The number is generated through a weighted formula designed to also account for the effect that one facet of play performing poorly may have on other experience of other facets. In our Playability Number, each facet has an effect on the two most closely related facets, which determines the final number. All of these factors mean that the Playability Number is often considerably lower than any review might be.

Start Playability Testing as early as your concept or prototype phase, or on games already released and developed. This initial concept Playability Number is your goal throughout testing. Iterative testing throughout development ensures all the playability facets are being addressed, and progress is being made toward the initial concept test number. Each report generates a Playability Number that can be used as a benchmark for the next test.