Ever played a game where 20 minutes in you threw the controller down and shouted "what the heck were they thinking?" A game so obviously poorly tuned that nobody but a professional could pass it? Well, they sad fact is that usually what happened was either A: they over promised and couldn't make it out on schedule, or B: they failed to playtest.
Playtesting is an essential but often overlooked step of good game making. It stops the "damn, I wished we'd..." effect. It directs you on what is and isn't working in your game currently. It gives you an outside perspective on how far along your game really is (or isn't). It makes the bumps in the curve stand up in stark relief. It is your chance to gauge how your game will fare outside in the real world, and unfortunately many game developers seem reluctant to take that step until retail, by which point it is too late to learn anything useful.
If you have a large game development decision to make, nothing speaks more than just building something and putting it in front of people. You can argue theory until you're blue in the face, but you can't argue with picking up a game and not being able to put it back down.
By the way, if you're within an hour of the Boston area, e-mail me at canfield[at]harmonixmusic[dot]com and I'll send you a link to the potential playtester signup sheet. Signing up does not guarantee a slot, just that you'd be willing to come in and help.
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