Every month PlaytestCloud hosts a welcome webinar to onboard our newest game studios (and those who may need a refresher on the platform). Michael Duning – chief growth officer at PlaytestCloud – decided to stop in, I didn’t know it then, but we were about to land on a new framework for how to look at our playtest types.
During the webinar, I explained our five playtest types (i.e., single session playtests, multi-session playtests, longitudinal playtests, concept tests, and surveys) when I offhandedly referred to those playtests as "the main course meals" one can order. However, I went on and brought up the fact that we also have three other services (i.e., kids tests, competitor tests, and multiplayer playtests) that are equivalent to side dish options, “kind of like the PlaytestCloud’s guacamole service.” That last throwaway sentence is one I’ll never live down; our collection of kids tests, competitor tests, multiplayer playtests is now lovingly referred to as the Guacamole Service within PlaytestCloud.
However silly it may seem to refer to these three playtest types as the guacamole service, it’s actually a great way to describe the products at the bottom of the products tab. You can’t go to your favorite Tex-Mex restaurant with friends and only order a plate of guacamole; you need to order some tacos or chips to go with it. Simultaneously, you can’t just order a kids test, competitor test, or multiplayer playtest by itself; you need to order a main course (single session playtests, multi-session playtests, longitudinal playtests, concept tests, surveys) along with them.
To put it simply, this means playtests require a pairing to go with them, such as a 15-minute single session playtest with kids or a 4-day longitudinal study as a competitor playtest. Without these pairings, "guacamole" playtests can not exist – and that is precisely why they can only be found within the playtest setup options on the order form and not in their own order form.
Additionally, we have secret menu items that you can come up with and ask us to create for you. Classic examples of these include a longitudinal playtest with a concept test instead of surveys between each session, or a multisession playtest where during the first session, players spend five minutes looking at the game's App Store page before playing the game as an FTUE (first-time user experience) playtest. I’d say this analogy feels like it has gone far enough, so I won’t bore you with more details; you seem full already.
As a side note, could someone please ship me some fish tacos with chipotle mayo and pickled onions? There are countless wonderful things about living in Berlin, but the quality of our Tex-Mex restaurants is not one of them 😋.
