How do you playtest a story? | Maddy Clute | NZGDC 2025

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The talk provides valuable, practical insights into playtesting narrative, a topic often overlooked. The speaker’s argument is well-structured, moving from the importance of story to a theoretical framework and then to concrete methods. She effectively uses the painting analogy to explain the layered nature of narrative and how each layer contributes to the player’s emotional response. The examples from her own development process are specific and credible, demonstrating the effectiveness of her approach. The argument is persuasive, emphasizing that testing feelings is possible and essential for creating impactful stories.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The talk is based on the speaker’s direct experience, which lends it authenticity. She does not cite external sources, but she references her own game and development process. The title accurately reflects the content, and the talk stays on topic. The speaker’s background in cognitive science and engineering adds credibility to her methods. The talk is well-organized and clearly presented, with a logical flow from problem to solution.

The title accurately reflects the content, which is a detailed case study on playtesting narrative in the game 'Call of the Golden Valley'.

8/10

The talk is grounded in the speaker's direct experience as a narrative designer and programmer on a shipped game, providing practical, actionable advice. While it is primarily anecdotal, the methods are well-reasoned and align with established practices in game design and user research. The speaker demonstrates a clear understanding of the challenges and offers concrete solutions.

Markers derived by PSI from the transcript: the creator did not define chapters.

• 02:00Introduction: Maddy Clute introduces herself and the game 'Call of the Golden Valley'.
• 05:00Why test story: Examples of AAA games failing due to story, and the importance of narrative for indie games.
• 10:00Theory of story: Feelings over plot points, and the analogy to painting layers.
• 15:00Layers of game narrative: dialogue, environment, characterization, music, lighting, context, gameplay.
• 20:00Method: Isolate the layer, ask focused questions, iterate quickly.
• 25:00Example: Table read for dialogue using ink.
• 30:00Example: Playtesting puzzle for detective feelings.
• 35:00Example: Testing choices with ink.
• 40:00Example: Testing vertical slice for demo.
• 45:00Q&A session.