Hello friends.
We’re still a few weeks away from the next issue of the How To Be A Games User Researcher newsletter. Next month's issue is going to be a good one - diving deep into how to translate academic experience into a career in the games industry, including advice from seasoned pros and the stories of others who have made the transition.
The paperback book is back!
This is a quick update about the book itself. You might have noticed that it’s been unavailable in paperback for a few weeks, and I’ve had a few people get in contact asking about how to get copies. It’s now back in stock, and available now:
Where did the book go?
Amazon’s auto-moderation bot flagged the book’s title as a risk. It believed the title had the word ‘games’ in too often and was trying to manipulate their algorithm. After a human reviewed it, they confirmed the title was fine, but it took a while to get a real person to look at it and whitelist it!
What’s in the book?
The book covers everything you need to know to start a games user research career.
The first section introduces how games get made. It’s written to allow people who haven’t worked in the industry before to have a reasonable understanding of how games get put together and have sensible conversations about how research can help.
The second section of the book describes how to run professional quality playtests, and ensure that your research studies are reliable and accurate.
The third section covers how to get a job in games user research, including how to get appropriate experience, and what interviewers are looking for when hiring researchers.
Combined, the book answers many of the common questions people have when considering a career in games user research, and allows you to focus your attention when starting a research career on the things that matter.
Is the book good?
I hope so. Look at all the nice things people have said…
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
A must-read for UX/UR professionals & teams looking to include UR as part of their development
Nida Ahmad, UX Designer and Researcher at Netspeak Games
(Congratulations to Nida on her MCV 30 under 30 award win this week!)
This book is an introduction to the core knowledge you actually need to run games user research. It’s not fluff, it’s crunchy
James Berg, Games Research and UX Special Interest Group Chair
Steve Bromley’s book is an exceptional catalogue of professional advice, purpose-built to develop your skills in this domain.
Every page is filled with Steve’s hard-won lessons and examples from the day-to-day realities of game development… I wish I had had this resource in my early career.
Seb Long, Director of Player Research
And readers on Amazon have also been saying nice things...
(read more reviews on the Amazon page)
What’s next
The book is back, so do pick it up if you haven’t already. Or get a second copy for a friend if you already have one yourself!
I’ll be continuing with the newsletters diving into topics that are important to people joining the industry - expect the next issue near the end of the month.
I’m also working in the background on other resources for people looking to become a games user researcher - I’ll share more on these soon!
Thanks friends!
Steve