Playtest Planning and Reporting Toolkit for Game Design in Academic Contexts

Authors

  • Mikhail Fiadotau Tallinn University / IT University of Copenhagen https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8583-7955
  • Peadar Callaghan Tallinn University
  • Leonardo Sorrentino Tallinn University
  • Laura DeCarli IT University of Copenhagen / Malmö University
  • Martin Sillaots Tallinn University
  • Anni Hõ Tallinn University
  • Juhyung Shin Osaka Electro-Communication University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34190/ecgbl.20.1.5118

Keywords:

playtesting, game design, game design didactics, game development, games education

Abstract

The article presents the Playtest Planning and Reporting Toolkit: a set of materials created to help game designers plan, structure, and report on their playtests in a way that is consistent, structured, and recoverable by others. The toolkit is particularly aimed at game creators who operate in academic contexts such as research and development projects and higher education. The toolkit consists of three parts: an information sheet outlining the different types and methods of playtesting, a template for planning playtest sessions, and a separate template to record playtest observations and report on the results. The article establishes the need for a playtesting toolkit in academic contexts; provides a functional definition of playtesting; and introduces the three parts of the toolkit, contextualizing their underlying design considerations.

Author Biographies

Mikhail Fiadotau, Tallinn University / IT University of Copenhagen

Mikhail Fiadotau, PhD is a lecturer at Tallinn University and a visiting assistant professor at the IT University of Copenhagen.

Peadar Callaghan, Tallinn University

Peadar Callaghan is head of the Digital Learning Games Master's program at Tallinn University in Estonia

Leonardo Sorrentino, Tallinn University

Leonardo Sorrentino is a junior research fellow in the School of Digital Technologies at Tallinn University.

Laura DeCarli, IT University of Copenhagen / Malmö University

Laura DeCarli is an assistant lecturer at the IT University in Copenhagen and research assistant at Malmö University.

Martin Sillaots, Tallinn University

Martin Sillaots, PhD is Associate Professor of Serious Games at Tallinn University in Estonia.

Anni Hõ, Tallinn University

Anni Hõ is an artist, game designer, and part-time lecturer at Tallinn University in Estonia.

Juhyung Shin, Osaka Electro-Communication University

Juhyung Shin, PhD is Associate Professor in the Department of Digital Games at Osaka Electro-Communication University in Japan.

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Published

2026-09-28

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 1 (2026): The Proceedings of the 20th European Conference on Games Based Learning

Section

Academic Papers