Photo by Kristen Belanger

Students Test Game for Entertainment Company

Seventeen St. Joseph’s Academy students were asked to test and then give feedback on a new video game created by Yatec, a Baton Rouge-based video game development company founded in March of this year. The game, which is Yatec’s first title, was five months in the development process. Its initial distribution will be digital, with hopes for widespread retail opportunities down the line.

"They had the opportunity to see how real-world product development occurs..." John Richardson, computer science teacher

Ben Lewis, Yatec marketing director, and Heather Rousse, lead artist on the new game, visited campus on November 1. Students in John Richardson’s Webmastering I and II and Independent Study in Technology-Programming classes played the game for approximately one hour, then answered questions from the Yatec representatives, offering both praise and constructive criticism as they evaluated the game’s visual appeal, theme, prize/award system, level of difficulty, advancement to more challenging levels of play, music/sound effects and tutorials.

“We are very excited to hear what you think of our first game,” Lewis told the students. “The audience for this game is 70 percent female, so you are our market. By serving as a Beta test site for the game, you are helping us to ultimately offer the very best product possible.”

Richardson said serving as a focus group for the developers was an invaluable educational opportunity for his students. “As a result of this experience, the girls were able to evaluate software, give feedback and then see any changes made to the game as a result of their input,” he said. “They had the opportunity to see how real-world product development occurs, and they employed their critical-thinking skills as they undertook the evaluation process.” 

Senior Taylor Chustz said she thoroughly enjoyed the experience. “Testing a game is always fun,” she said. “You get to see a product before it goes to the public. It was interesting to see how the game was created. I did like the game. I usually go more for the RPG (role-playing games), but this one was nice. After a while, you find some kind of strategy. I think it will catch on.”

Junior Jessica Manning said testing the game was as entertaining as it was educational. “I learned what it takes to actually make the games that we play every day,” she said. “I would definitely recommend this game to a friend. It was truly a fun game and was very addicting. It was a great group of girls to work and have fun with, and I enjoyed listening to their input. It feels great to be asked opinions on a game at this age and to tell them honestly how we felt about the game.” 

Sophomore Kati Jo Barber agreed. “It was really cool to know that we were testing a game that will one day be a game that many people play,” she said. “It was really cool to be in the focus group and to know that we could affect the future of this game.”

Junior Marqui Leland said serving as a Beta tester opened her eyes to the hard work that goes into creating video games. “It was really interesting to be able to play a game as you were in the same room with the people who spent loads of times creating it,” she said. “It makes you realize that every time you play a game, someone actually worked to design it. It’s really neat to know that something one of us said could change a game that is going to be going out to the public. It’s crazy to think that we were actually a very small part in making this game perfect.”