Treat, Please! Design Blog: My Playtesting Journey

I started designing Treat, Please! in July 2020 without any previous game design or playtesting experience. I knew I needed to start playtesting early and often, but without being able to see my friends and family in person, my options felt pretty limited! My friends and I had been using a digital platform for virtual DND sessions, and I realized that if I could make my game digitally, my DND friends would be able to playtest too!

Playtesting digitally opened up so many new possibilities for me! My friends suggested that I join the PlaytestNW Discord - the server for a local playtesting group that shifted to virtual playtesting during the pandemic. I’ve met so many amazing people through PlaytestNW and have received impartial, honest feedback about the game that has been invaluable. The group helped me feel connected to other game designers in my local area and beyond during an incredibly challenging time.

After joining PlaytestNW, my design journey started accelerating, and I was eager for more opportunities to playtest. That is when I learned about the Break My Game (BMG) Discord server, with playtesting events almost every day of the week! After attending my first BMG playtest, I knew it was the perfect place for me. One of the things that stood out to me the most was how well-moderated their playtesting events are and how supportive the community is, which made feel comfortable sharing my game and receiving feedback from complete strangers. After being a member of the community for awhile, I became a mod and eventually a playtest event host for BMG. Hosting playtests was an absolute blast, and I loved seeing how other designers’ games would progress over time.

Through both of these groups, I’ve been able to make so many amazing connections and network with other designers. They helped me learn about online playtesting conventions, like Protospiel Online and Nonepub, in addition to other resources for new game designers like the Tabletop Mentorship Program!

I could not have made Treat, Please! without the support of my husband, family, friends, PlaytestNW, BMG, and many others. Thank you to everyone who has helped me along this journey! — Courney Shernan