Recording tips

• Find a place away from other people - when you’re in a room with lots of background noise it makes it hard to hear your thoughts on the game. You also agree to a non-disclosure agreement before every playtest that prohibits you from sharing anything about the game with anyone.
• Make sure you have a good pair of headphones with a mic. This will make it easier to hear you clearly.
• Turn off any fans or equipment that could make background noise - even though it sounds quiet in the room, the recorder will pick up the humming from fans, TVs and other electrical equipment.
• If you have received feedback on your recording being difficult to hear, try some of these tips to limit the amount of background noise and echo on the recording:
  • close all the doors and windows in the room
  • make sure your microphone isn’t covered by your hands or clothes.
  • try recording in a confined space like your car
  • turn off notifications for when you’re doing a playtest, this will also stop you from getting distracted!
  • place your device closer to your mouth but try not to cough into it.
  • use a different headset
  • move to another area if you are being interrupted by noise
  • try recording with a blanket over your head, this will limit echo and outside sounds on your recording.
• Try to cough or sniff away from the mic - several people will be listening to your recording
• Make sure that you talk throughout the whole recording. For example: Even if you have been asked to complete a 30-minute playtest, you will still need to continue talking through your thoughts if you record for longer than that. We will be reviewing the entire recording!
• Remember that your recording will be listened to by other people. Even if you encounter annoying disruptions in game, like ads, please stay focused on responding fairly to the playtest.
• Pause the playtest if you need to - we understand that things come up from time to time, so if you need to take a break then that's fine. Please do not leave the recording running while you do something else.
• Stay safe! If a playtest asks you to record while outside (as can be the case with location-based games), please stay aware of what is going on around you. Please also do not playtest while driving.

You might also like to check out our What to talk about video, which will give you some tips on how to get started!

Like gaming on PC too? You can now add gaming PC's and laptops to your profile!

Don't forget:

When recording, you're recording your whole screen and therefore any notifications you receive, so it's a good idea to turn on Do Not Disturb. If something comes up and you need to leave the playtest for a short time, that's fine! You can return to it by reopening the app.

Not sure how to playtest? We've made some example qualification test and playtest videos just for you here. You can use them as inspiration for your participations!

If you have any other questions about being a playtester, please get in touch with our Community Manager on help@playtestcloud.com