Getting Feedback

My brother-in-law doesn't play games. So when I showed him the Alpha build of my latest casual game I was excited to see him start playing the game and instantly "get it". But what was really cool was that he didn't read the instructions (just like the average player) yet knew exactly what to do. And he kept playing without me forcing him to.

Now that's great feedback.

Still, I'm about to start my wider focus testing to make sure that the game is as clear and balanced as possible. This is one of the most rewarding and frustrating parts of game development. Frustrating because stuff you think is obvious sometimes isn't - and you have to accept that end users experiencing the game for the first time have a very different set of expectations. But it's rewarding when you fix these issues and create something that is truly accessible.