Lesson 7 of 7
Test and Improve Your Game
Find bugs, balance difficulty, collect player feedback, and polish your game to perfection.
Learn it
Building a game is only half the journey; the real magic happens when you test it and make it better!
Playtesting means watching other people play your game without giving them hints. You will quickly see which jumps are too hard or which directions are confusing.
Adding polish like particle effects, screen shake, and bouncy sound effects turns a good project into an unforgettable arcade masterpiece.
Key terms
- Playtesting
- Observing real users play your game to identify flaws, confusion, and bugs.
- Game Juice
- Visual and audio polish (screen shake, particles, sounds) that enhances game feel.
- Bug
- An error or unintended behaviour in computer code.
- Iterative Design
- The cycle of prototyping, testing, analysing feedback, and refining the game.
Running a Playtest Session
Follow these steps to conduct an effective playtest of your arcade game.
- 1Observe Silently: Hand the controls to a friend and watch without explaining what to do.
- 2Note Friction Points: Write down where the player gets lost, frustrated, or encounters unexpected bugs.
- 3Ask Open Questions: After they finish, ask: 'What was most fun?' and 'What felt unfair?'
- 4Apply Juice: Add screen shake on big impacts and celebratory sound effects on wins.
- 5Retest: Verify your fixes and ensure new tweaks did not break existing mechanics.
Adding Screen Shake and Particles
python# Adding juice when taking damage
def on_player_hit_enemy(hero, enemy):
scene.camera_shake(4, 300) # Shake screen for 300ms
hero.start_effect(effects.fire, 500)
music.waw_waw_waw.play()
info.change_life_by(-1)
sprites.on_overlap(SpriteKind.player, SpriteKind.enemy, on_player_hit_enemy)Camera shake and particle effects deliver intense visual feedback, making hits feel impactful.
Build it in MakeCode
Code along right here — the real Microsoft MakeCode editor is embedded below.
Live MakeCode studio
Full block/JavaScript/Python editor for 160×120 retro games.
This is the real Microsoft MakeCode editor running inside CodeQuest. Your project saves in the MakeCode editor itself — use Share or Download in MakeCode to keep or hand in your game. If your school network blocks embedded frames, hit New tab.
Try it
Match each testing and polish term to its proper description.
Challenge
Write a 5-point QA checklist for your arcade game covering controls, scoring, bounds, audio, and win conditions.
Pick whichever way suits you — every mode earns the same bonus XP.
Write at least 40 more characters to submit.
Mark your own work
Guided walkthrough — 0/5 clues revealed
- Clue 1 locked — reveal it only if you get stuck.
- Clue 2 locked — reveal it only if you get stuck.
- Clue 3 locked — reveal it only if you get stuck.
- Clue 4 locked — reveal it only if you get stuck.
- Clue 5 locked — reveal it only if you get stuck.
Each clue costs 5 XP (never below 25 XP). You'd earn 50 XP right now.
Extension: Describe two juice elements you would add to make collecting a super-gem feel epic.