Contents
Engine-independent guidance
Turn an idea into a testable prototype
Choose the question worth answering before you build the game around it.
On this page
Use this when: You have a game or feature idea, but its central assumption is still unproven.
You will leave with: A small experiment, an observable question, and a decision about what to try next.
Keep in mind: The goal need not be fun: it may be tension, mood, meaning, or technical feasibility. Use enough visual and audio fidelity to test that quality fairly.
- Ask a question
- Build a test
- Observe
- Revise
Step 1
Name the value you want to test
Write one sentence describing what the player should experience. Separate that experience from a list of features.
Read the full principle and its exceptions: Find the fun first — prove the core before building around it →Step 2
Find the assumption that could break the idea
List the important unknowns. Pick the one whose failure would most change your decision to continue. Combine risks only when they cannot be tested independently.
Read the full principle and its exceptions: Prototype the riskiest assumption first →Step 3
Build only enough to judge it
Use placeholders for everything outside the question. If you are testing atmosphere or feel, add fidelity where it is necessary rather than judging an incomplete version of the experience.
Read the full principle and its exceptions: Greybox before you make it pretty — validate the design with placeholders →An example
Suppose a puzzle idea relies on players understanding that moving one object changes another. Build one room and that interaction. Watch whether a player notices the relationship and uses it intentionally. A full level, inventory, or story sequence is not yet needed. If the relationship depends on sound, include that cue in the test.
Illustrative scenario, not a report of a tested project.
Try this next
Write the question, what you will observe, and what result would make you change direction. Run the experiment, then update the question instead of automatically expanding the prototype.
Continue: learn from a playtest →This guide is an editorial companion to the linked principles. Their full conditions, disagreements, and source trails remain authoritative.