Longitudinal playtests - overview and help

Overview (see below for troubleshooting)

Longitudinal playtests take place over a specified number of days, and require 1 recording session to be recorded each day. Usually there are a couple of extra days built in so playtesters can take a break. 

All the info about the timeline and payment will be included in the invite email. The email will include:

  • How many sessions need to be recorded;
  • How long each recording session should be;
  • The timeline of the playtest, so how many days testers have to complete everything; 
  • If surveys needs to be completed;
  • How many days off testers can have in that timeframe; and
  • In the case of kids playtests, which child should take part. Important: Only the child who is invited should take part and no other child can take over part way through the test. This would result in non-payment.

Here's an example of what the invite can look like:

Recording-time Requirement

In these playtests, there is a daily recording-time requirement. Try to remember it like this: Each day you start at 0 minutes, so any recording time that you made before does not count towards any later days. You will need to complete this required daily time in order to move onto the next step in the playtest.

Let’s look at an example:

You’ve been invited to a playtest that requires you to record for 3 days, for 30 minutes each day, over a five-day timeline. The total required recording time is therefore 90 minutes. 

Even if you recorded 90 minutes in two days, you will still need to record for a third day, as we need the full third 30-minute session. Also, if you are not able to complete a full session on one day, this incomplete session will not count towards your later days. Each day you start fresh - as does your 30 minutes! 

I haven't received my survey!

If at any point during the longitudinal playtest you don’t receive a daily survey, consider the following:

  • Is your upload definitely completed? This can be checked by re-opening the app to see the upload status. 
  • Did you complete the entire recording time for the day? You may need to record for more time. 

If your upload is showing as completed, it may need some time to finalize on our end. The survey email will then be triggered. However, if some time has passed and you still have not received it, let us know so that we can look into the issue.

Confirmation Emails

Please bear in mind that we do not send out daily confirmation emails during a longitudinal playtest, but please do feel free to get in touch if you want to make sure that you’re still on track! Once you’ve finished all the steps, we’ll then send you a confirmation email. 

You can also check out our longitudinal playtests explainer video!

Like gaming on PC too? We'll be introducing PC playtests later this year! To get prepared for those, you can now add Windows PC's to your profile!

If you have any other questions about this or anything else, please get in touch with our Community Manager on help@playtestcloud.com

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