Any playtest experiences here?

[Lu]

That's good, man, and you totally shouldn't give up. I think it's cool to be critical, but be critical about the right things and in the right way; they want playtesters, not business analysts. I think what Ben said was correct. A lot of people in this thread already gave a lot of solid advice too.

 

Should I talk to the designer again to get my "job" back?  Should I forget about it and continue with making games on my own time (which I've been having trouble doing recently with Unity)?  

 

I don't know. What do you want to do really? Playtesting can be a really good learning experience if you let it (and you'd be amazed what a halfway decent developer can do in a few weeks time). Either way, never stop trying to make games if it's something you really want. 

[syntheticgerbil]

I think really it seems that it's coming down to how you have and are wording things, Rxanadu. It's easier to be kind of dismissive on forums, but I think just being as respectful but critical as possible in the workplace is key.

 

I mean I'm saying that, but it's tough for me, because I tend to not care much about how I'm wording things at work sometimes (not always for playtesting) but people tend to get their feelings hurt when the criticism is damning and negative, which never works out. However, sometimes they get their feelings hurt when criticism is completely legitimate and constructive, which is bad on them.

[dibs]

It's like that episode of ANTM, you don't have to be rude to tell the truth.

[Justin Leego]

And suddenly we're talking about Dota 2 etiquette.

[shammack]

Also, smile with your eyes.

[Joewintergreen]

Hmmmm. What Lu says is hella correct. I initially read this as the other guy being an ass, but it turns out your original post was maybe a little (unintentionally) misleading in that regard. I think when someone gets you to playtest their game, they are almost certainly not looking for your advice - on game design, or on whether you think the game is going to be successful or how they can make it successful according to your personal barometer of success, or whatever. They just want to watch you play the game and see how you react to it (and how it reacts to you). The more thought you put into what you're saying the less useful it probably is to them. 

 

I would probably only ask for your "job" back if you think you'll be able to be a more useful tester, which unfortunately might mean shutting up and just consuming the game as it is and on its own terms, for the most part. Re making games, totally keep doing it.