Our Playtesters are the heart and soul of what we do at Electronic Arts Playtesting! In this second part of our series, we had a chance to chat with 3 more incredible Playtesters from different parts of the world, getting to know their personal experiences as valued members of the Electronic Arts Playtesting Community.
Kayla B: I found out about Electronic Arts Playtesting from a Google search. I knew about Playtesting and wanted to know if there were any local studios that were looking for Playtesters. I was lucky enough to live close to an EA campus, so I applied and figured that the worst thing that could happen was that I wouldn’t be selected. It sounded interesting and I thought it would give me a unique perspective into something I was interested in.
Rafael R: I found out about the Playtesting program through a Facebook post!
Sara R: I actually found out about Playtesting back in fall 2017 when my boyfriend at the time said I should try it since I love video games so much!
Kayla B: I really enjoy getting to see behind-the-scenes and seeing all the hard work and dedication that goes into creating games. Getting to see the early builds for certain games is incredible. I always knew that a lot of work went into games, but getting to play an unfinished game is a unique experience.
Rafael R: I really enjoy being able to give my feedback to help make games better. It’s awesome being able to play the games before anyone else too!
Sara R: What I enjoy the most is meeting new people, making new friends, and playing a lot of fun video games. It’s also great getting to know the awesome team at the DICE, Stockholm office!
Kayla B: I was fortunate enough to be selected to participate in a week-long Playtest for an action/adventure game at the Redwood City office. I had an idea of what game I might be Playtesting, but finding out and getting to be a part of its development was really exciting. Whenever I play the game or see footage from it, I always think that I played a very small part in the creation of something special.
Rafael R: A couple of years ago I was chosen to do a Playtest for Madden and I was given a behind-the-scenes tour of the Orlando office by the developers. They took us to a conference room where they had all the helmets and we saw all the trophies, including the Lombardi Trophy. They also did a quick interview with me after that which was super fun! Getting to experience that was a once in a lifetime experience!
Sara R: One that jumps to mind is at one of my first Playtests and the Moderator asked if anyone would prefer to play on a controller instead of mouse and keyboard. I asked if they had any PlayStation controllers and the Moderator replied “No but we have Xbox controllers, they aren’t that different”. At that moment, me and the person sitting next to me instantly replied “No, it’s not” at basically the same time.
Kayla B: This is such a hard question and I feel like my answer changes all the time. Right now I would say that my favorite game of all time is likely Dragon Age: Inquisition. I’ve played through its story multiple times and it’s definitely a comfort game for me. I love how intricate its story is and how every time I play it I can make slightly different choices and make it feel like a whole new game.
Rafael R: This is a hard one for me because I love all sports games, but if I have to pick one it has to be Madden. Me and my friends make our own brackets to play each other and the winner always has all the bragging rights. Safe to say there’s always a friendly amount of trash-talking between us!
Sara R: That’s a very difficult question to answer since there are so many good games. But I would have to say Super Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64. It was so fun and innovative at the time and it also partly inspired the theme of my tattoo. That was the game that made me fall in love with gaming.
Kayla B: If I had 1 piece of advice for someone it would have to be to have patience and remember that you’re playing a work-in-progress game. Not every aspect is going to work 100% perfectly, the point of Playtesting is to help find the parts that need improvement. To help find the parts that are too hard or the puzzles that don't make sense. It may take a few tries to realize that a certain area of the game doesn't work right and that it's not you doing something wrong. You may have to play certain areas over and over again, and you just have to remember that’s part of the reason you’re Playtesting.
Rafael R: Take full advantage of the opportunity because not everyone has the chance to experience it. Knowing that you had some input in helping make a game better really makes you feel like you’re part of the development process!
Sara R: Don’t take it personally if you don’t get selected for a Playtest right away! I remember I used to get so sad if I didn’t get selected because I thought I’d done something wrong. Now of course I know that I didn’t do anything wrong and it wasn’t personal. Sometimes they are looking for players with more experience and other times less - it’s just about what they are looking for in that particular Playtest. Just keep applying and don’t take it personally. That way when you do get selected you can enjoy it way more (I sure did). And most importantly, have fun!