Living on a Prayer

Following 2 weeks of Closed Testing, my first Android game is now at the point where I can apply for production access to Google Play.

My understanding of this is that I am at the point where, once I apply, Google gets the final say as to whether or not my game can be rolled out across the globe for people to play and maybe even buy.

There's still a chance that Google will reject my app, even though I have tried to ensure that I have accommodated every little hurdle I have been able to figure out in the process.  Over the last 2 weeks, I have made various updates to the game, some have been modifications based on user feedback, some have been things I've noticed when playing the game myself.

I have also kept a record of the changes I have made to the game to ensure that I can complete the application questionnaire honestly and effectively.

Closed testing

My experience of the Closed Testing process has, so far, been beneficial.  As much as it was a bit of a challenge to find at least 12 people around me that had an Android device and were willing to test my game for me, I was also surprised at how willing people were to support me with this.

Once the testing cycle had started, I was a little bit apprehensive about whether or not my testers would actually play the game, and whether or not they'd enjoy it.

For the most part I was worrying about nothing, everyone seemed to enjoy playing the game, and the feedback I received helped me to refine the experience a bit.  It's by no means a perfect game, but it's a bit of fun, there's no major bugs, glitches or crashes.  The only real improvements that were made were made to improve the experience of playing the game.

The game itself is a simple(ish) arcade style game based on a classic.  The feedback I had suggested I wanted was that it looks the part, plays well enough for the style and if it is fun to play.  The only real challenge in it is to beat your own high score, and that's pretty much it.  As I said, it's a small game.

One of the more outlandish ideas from the feedback I had for the game, was to introduce a boss level to break up the gameplay a bit.  While this is a fairly common idea in games made today, due to the way my game has been written, I would need to completely reorganise the game to accommodate a boss level, as well as introduce new mechanics around the boss battles.  Sadly this isn't something I can fit into the timeframe of the testing period, but I might consider expanding the game in future to include something akin to a boss fight (though I'm not entirely sure how this would work yet).

So, overall the testing period has proven to be useful and beneficial for my game.  Initially I thought that going through the test period was Google's way of adding in another road block for indie developers.  After going through the process, so far at least, I can say that it has been helpful and has helped to improve my game.  Everyone will have a different experience with it, but if you really want to publish a Game for Android, you need to do the Closed Testing, so you might as well make the most of it.

Google's Requirements

The requirements on Google's website for the Play Store state that as an individual (solo) developer you will need to go through what it refers to as Closed Testing.  Google describes it as a process to help ensure the quality of apps and games on the Google Play Store.  The requirements as listed by Google are:

• Have 12 Testers "Opted In" to the test.
• Have the 12 Testers "Opted In" for not less than 14 days.
• And that Testers must engage with your app/game.

For the way Google manages the testing from its own perspective, "Opting In" to the testing period is just the Testers confirming to Google that they are willing to participate in the test.  This does not necessarily mean they need to install or use your apps, just be opted into the test.  They also need to be "Opted In" for 14 days continuously.  If the number of testers "Opted In" drops below 12 at any point, the 14 days start from when you next have 12 Testers "Opted In".

The final point of user engagement is never fully explained by Google, and no information is available for how Google measures the engagement of Testers.  I can only assume that, because you are able to see the number of installations in the Google Play Console, that Google can see if your app/game is being downloaded (or maybe even used) by your Testers.  Also, in the questionnaire, as I understand it, you will need to explain how you conducted the test and received feedback from your Testers.  Both of these sources could be used by Google to quantify engagement with your app/game, but Google does not explicitly state how it quantifies engagement with your app/game.

Beyond these publicly described requirements, there also seems to be a few "hidden" requirements that can limit the success of your testing.  They are:

• You must make updates to your app/game during the testing period.
• You must provide enough information in the questionnaire to be considered for Production Access.

Google seems to expect that any individual developer attempting to publish an app to the Google Play Store must not have a production ready app at the start of Closed Testing.  As such, Google expects you to need to make updates to your app during the testing period.  It doesn't seem to matter if your app is perfect (or perfect enough) before you start Closed Testing, if you do not make any updates, Google will likely reject your application for Production Access.  Some of the information I found previously (a blog post on Medium from a Google search a few weeks ago) suggested that you should aim to make at least 3 updates to your app during the testing period to show to Google that you are responding to feedback and updating your app.

I'm pretty sure that it was the same source that also suggested the restrictions on the questionnaire as well.  Where it was described that if you do not enter enough information, that Google is likely to reject the request for Production Access.

How I Managed My Testing

As I've already mentioned, my group of testers was a selection of people I know from Colleagues, Friends and Family.  Due to the relatively small and informal nature of the group, I decided to manage the testing through an email list myself.  Over the course of the test period I physically saw about 66% of my testers multiple times, and we would use these encounters to discuss their experiences.  Others would send me emails of their experiences and suggestions.  One or two would message me in other formats.  As a result, it made more sense for me to collect and collate this information myself, and then review and act on it based on the feedback I was given.  Most people would say that this approach isn't ideal, however it worked for me, and I was able to record the primary issues and suggestions for later implementation.

If I was looking at using a group of individuals that I had less physical contact with, or I was using a third party service, I would manage the testing differently.  The most important part of the process is obtaining useful feedback, feedback that can either fix or improve your app/game.  So long as this aim is reasonably achieved, it doesn't really matter how it is managed, so long as you get the useful information out of it.

My Advice to You

If you ever plan on making an Android App or Game yourself, make sure to do your due diligence.  Knowing what you will need to do before you do it can save a lot of time and frustration.  I still don't know if my game will pass Google's last hurdle, but I'm fairly confident that it will.

Make sure that you consider the requirements, both the public and hidden ones, and how they will affect your testing experience.

Finally, make sure you understand what you need out of the testing process.  As much as you will need to make updates for Google's sake, understand what type of feedback you are looking for and how to respond to this feedback, and any unexpected feedback.  If your testers suggest major improvements, you might need to reconsider things that will take longer to fix than the testing period.  With minor improvements, while your testers are suggesting them, you also need to think about how the improvements are implemented, and how that will affect other features of your app or game.

I hope you find my experiences useful.

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