How to avoid playtest leaks [How To Be A Games User Researcher 👾 📰]
Test without fear. Also an exclusive interview with Meta Quest's Rich Ridlen, games UX mentoring, and entry level games user research roles
Hello friends.
This month we dive into keeping secrets when playtesting, some great internships (including with Lego!) and a career interview with research veteran Rich Ridlen.
Thanks also to everyone who picked up The Playtest Kit during its launch last month - the reception has been fantastic, and I’m looking forward to seeing the fruits of better playtesting for all!
How to avoid leaks from your playtests
Convincing teams to playtest can be hard.
Especially early in development, many game teams are worried that tests with real players will lead to leaks, disrupting marketing plans. Smaller teams also worry that someone will steal their idea and execute on it faster. All of this adds up to “let’s wait and playtest later”.
But delaying user research causes problems. Discovering core usability and UX issues late leave us less opportunity to react to them. This leads to worse quality games. Leaks shouldn’t scare us from running playtests.
We need to create trust that we can handle secret information, and that playtesting can be safe. Researchers achieve that through a combination of non-disclosure agreements, method selection and building rapport with participants. In this month’s new research skills article learn how to do that yourself.
An exclusive interview with Meta Quest’s Rich Ridlen
I first met Rich almost a decade ago when he was at EA, and
We caught up recently, and Rich shared his experience establishing user research at Meta Quest, working on VR games, and his advice for how to get into the games industry as a UX researcher.
Many jobs aren’t advertised. And even if it is advertised, if they remember you, you’re a foot above the other ones, right?
Read the full interview, with Rich’s excellent advice for becoming a games user researcher here.
Entry-level games user research jobs
An internship with Lego
Seb Long shared this internship with Lego’s qualitative research team.
A funded PhD on toxic behaviour in multiplayer games
Julian Frommel writes…
We're looking for a researcher in a fully-funded PhD position in human-computer interaction at the Multimedia research group at Utrecht University in Utrecht, NL to work on toxic behaviours and harassment in multiplayer games. More information at https://www.uu.nl/en/organisation/working-at-utrecht-university/jobs/phd-position-in-human-computer-interaction-08-10-fte Also feel free to reach out to me via email (j.frommel@uu.nl) if you have questions.
Junior research participant coordinator with Sprung Studios
Work with studios such as EA, Activision, LucasArts, Respawn, Rare, Ubisoft, Microsoft Studios, to source, schedule and screen participants for research studies.
A postdoc research role with UXR Lab
Work with the fantastic Pejman Mirza-Babaei…
An internship with Kabam
Krista Parham (who shared her career tips earlier this year) shared this internship with Kabam, based in Canada.
More games user research roles
Many more jobs at all levels can be found on the jobs section of the website - including a new research role with TT Games.
Free games user research stickers
We still have a few left over. Learn how to claim your own free Games User Research sticker.
Only a few left of this print run, so do grab one if interested:
Games User Research Mentoring
The window for new applications for the IGDA’s GRUX mentoring scheme is now open. It’s a fantastic free initiative that partners people looking to start their career with established games user researchers. Join the IGDA’s Games Research + UX Discord to find the details.
Next month…
That’s it for this month. Please remember to recommend this newsletter to your peers, and check back next month for:
How to get games user research experience before entering the industry
How to find playtesters to take part in your studies
Another interview with career tips from a GUR veteran
And more jobs!
Steve 👋
Want to learn how to be a games user researcher, and how to ace games job interviews? Pick up the bestselling How To Be A Games User Researcher
Essential reading for anyone aspiring to work in games user research and those who are early in their careers…
This is a book I sincerely wish I had at my disposal when I was a grad student.
Jess Tompkins, UX Researcher at EA
Just need to run a playtest today? You need The Playtest Kit.
…it feels like getting a consultant in at a fraction of the cost. A must for any studio looking to better their games through clever use of structured feedback...
Dan Marshall, BAFTA-winning indie dev, Size Five Games
You made it to the end. Here’s a duck 🦆