USC’s game design program produces award-winning video games that are not only entertaining, but some are also applicable in fields like neuroscience, public health and medicine. But what really sets the school apart is its unique playtesting program.
Advanced games projects (AGP) is a year-long course and capstone project in the interactive media division of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts (SCA). Teams of students start the year with an initial idea and by the end of the semester, they’re able to produce a full-fledged game. What students and faculty alike say they value about the course is that it simulates the real-life gaming industry.
“What prepares us for the [gaming] industry is having that constant and quick feedback, but also the quick grind out of a new version of a game every week,” said Olivia Siu, a master’s student majoring in games, media and health. Faculty stand in for roles such as engineers, the usability department, production and narrative marketing, all of which students would encounter if they were to enter the industry.
Employees from Rockstar Games, an American video game publisher based in New York City that is famous for games like Grand Theft Auto, stop by and give students pointers about what features might be better to implement in the games.
“Every team is composed of part-time employees who are in their pods or departments such as engineering, arts, design, usability. It reflects a workplace setting because our class is basically a three-hour work time session,” Siu said.
“Usability” is another important part of the real-life simulation. According to Dennis Wixon, an adjunct professor in the interactive media division of SCA, any commercial game’s success depends on its interaction with consumers; playtesting sessions are how designers learn that information. Playtesters’ perceptions don’t always align with the vision that designers had in mind, he added, so the sessions serve as a bridge between these two parties.
After being selected by the faculty and reviewed by Rockstar Games, the end project will be an on-campus expo open to the public — a festival for every student to exhibit their year-long projects.
Siu, who is also the usability teaching assistant for USC Games, said that designers have to consider their users’ mindsets and experiences going into the game, considering that players come from different gaming backgrounds. For example, players who don’t have previous experience with virtual reality games may do something outside of the developers’ expectations.
“We are just the developers who know how our game works. So, every step we want to see the external perspective and player’s expectations,” Siu said.
She gave some examples from her game, Neon City, the only virtual reality (VR) game in this year’s AGP where you use your hands to build a city. “Did they expect this one building to light up,” Siu asks herself. “Did they expect a citizen to talk to you?”
Siddhant Gupta, a graduate student studying computer science, was one of the playtesters for Neon City.
“I haven’t played a lot of 3D games. So that was one thing that I liked about [the experience]. It was pretty smooth. I didn’t have any problems [playing it],” Gupta said.
However, there is a standard for an ideal playtester and playing the game right it’s just part of it.
“I think a good playtester is someone who talks as they play to give the designers the most information possible. A common phrase is ‘talk like a streamer.’ A good tester finds the balance between talking about what they are doing and playing the way they would play the game” according to Nickey Olson, an interactive media and game design MFA student.
“If you are watching the video, it’s hard to tell from their [gamers] behaviors what they are thinking,” Wixon said. “Are they hesitating because they are admiring the 3D view that the virtual reality world builds? Or are they hesitating out of confusion?”
Professor Wixon is saying that the thought process behind the seemingly similar behavior is drastically different from one person to another, helping the students to prepare for a diverse audience of players once they enter the industry as professionals.
Playtesting is open to all majors on campus and is accessible remotely. Students who want to volunteer to become playtesters can fill out this survey.