NB: For safeguarding reasons, I couldn’t include any video content of this playtesting session.
I arranged a Zoom meeting for a playtesting session with three 8-9 year old girls. There is a feature on Zoom that allows other members of the call to take over screen control, and they each had a go at playing the game. However, this was quite laggy and difficult to maintain, so I sent them a WebGL build link instead which they could access via their browser. I also explained to them that this was an early version of the game that still has to go through a lot of development. Additionally, I gave them more context about the game, and informed them that it is supposed to be for children who are feeling low and upset or overwhelmed.
After giving them some time to play around with the different elements of the game, I sent them a Google form to fill out. I had also sent the link and form to their parents to see if they could pass it on to any other families for further testing and feedback and managed to get a few more responses.
*Screen capture of me setting up the game for them to play*
https://forms.gle/MEo4rsUrVZJ7gbuw8
Overall the responses to the form were very positive. I was particularly testing to see how the game made the participants feel, as this was one of the core design aims of Cogshel - to make the player feel more positive after playing. I wanted to do this through gameplay, but also through the visuals and art style. They were effective and made the testers feel relaxed and calm. They said they liked the
Though they voted the mindfulness activity as the most relaxing part of the game, they suggested that the it could be more unique and link to the tiger some how. It was boring to just have a circle so I asked for different options of what they’d like to see:
| Breathe Activity Design |
|---|
| Glowing ball or heart |
| Tiger holding ball |
| Paw prints |
After going through the different ideas, we concluded that a combination of the tiger and a heart would be really effective as it feels like the player is breathing with the pet, and the heart is a reassuring shape. I will take this idea and develop it further.
More updates on the breathe activity can be found here.
I also asked them what I could do to improve the experience. My next steps will be adding some SFX/audio into the game for more calming ambience in the background. The other suggestions were great, however it will most likely depend on whether or not they fit into the scope. Updates on audio/SFX implementation can be found here.
Current activity visuals
