I've mentioned this before in this column, but we have a strong belief in playtesting everything. You can never know what a player is going to do in your game until you actually see them do it. Right now in the middle of this wonderful summer heat (and occasional zombie uprisings) we're playtesting the heck out of Rock Band. And quite frankly, we're loving every minute.
For example, we had a couple singing "Don't Fear the Reaper" against each other, and they couldn't stop laughing. After they finished a grueling hour-and-a-half long play session (observer Jon Carter can be quite the harsh game master), the moment we turned our backs they started playing again. I've met uptight mid-40s executives that discovered a hidden love of singing as loudly as they can. I never thought I'd get to watch 12-year-old inner city kids rocking out to Bowie.
In this industry, you spend a lot of time on your game, only to toss it out into the world and have it disappear beyond view. You don't actually get to watch people play with your creation. With playtesting, however, we get a chance to throw the game out there and see the weird ways which people respond to it. It's nice to see.
See you all online when we ship!
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The Official Harmonix Podcast - Episode 61
The team talks about Harry Potter World, summer jobs at Six Flags, their favorite Rock Band DLC of 2011, and more.
