Master pop-up playtests || Move from academia into Games [Games User Research 👾]
Guerilla Research | Leaving academia | What are hiring managers looking for? | The Game Designers Playbook | Games UR Jobs
Hello friends.
Another packed month. In this issue:
☕️ How to make the most of pop-up research
🎓 Move from academia into the games industry
🤫 Games industry veteran John Hopson shares what he looks for when hiring researchers
💼 Games user research jobs
(and more…)
Next week is also the Game UX Summit, which I’m sponsoring on behalf of The Playtest Kit. Tickets are still available on their website.
Let’s get started with our playtesting and games user research posts this month...
Make the most of pop-up playtests
Many teams don’t have the luxury of dedicated user researchers, and have to make compromises to a ‘full’ research process - taking shortcuts in participant recruitment or not being able to use the most appropriate method.
Pop-up playtests offer a quick method for getting low-cost information about the player experience.
This is positive, because we love playtesting.
But it also introduces some risks. Pop-up or guerilla research throw out a lot of the protection that more formal research methods have built it, and increase the chance of drawing misleading or unhelpful conclusions from your playtest.
In this article I cover how to make the most of pop-up playtests, how to avoid some of the traps that mislead game developers, and get the best possible data from your informal study.
Moving from academia to games user research
Going from a post-graduate degree into the games industry can be challenging. You feel like a research expert, and are ready to combine your expertise with your passion playing games.
But then – why are you getting ghosted and not getting interviews?
I’ve completely re-written last year’s guide to moving from academia into games. In this updated post I look at how to make the most of your academic experience when applying, some of the pitfalls to avoid, and how to get your first role in games user research.
What are hiring managers looking for?
As part of a new series, I've been talking to hiring managers to uncover what they look for in people applying for games.
John Hopson is games industry veteran who has worked on games ranging from small indy projects to massive blockbusters such as Halo 3, Destiny, and Hearthstone. Currently he is a Senior Director of User Insights at FunPlus.
In his career John has hired many user researchers. I spoke to John about his process, and thoughts on what candidates can do to maximise their chances of success.
The Game Designer’s Playbook
I’ve known Pejman Mirza-Babaei for over a decade now (since we were both student volunteers at PlayStation!), and he has consistently been an expert advocate for user research in games.
He has just released a new book with Samantha Stahlke on interaction design in games. Here’s the book in its own words.
The Game Designer's Playbook is about learning what makes for great (or terrible!) interaction design in games, exploring things like controls, feedback, story, and tutorial design by analyzing existing games. It also looks at how newer and still-developing tech like VR and streaming are changing the ways we play, and how you can bring great interaction design to your own games.
Understanding other disciplines’ priorities and approaches is critical to being a credible games user researcher - I’d strongly recommend adding this book to your library!
Find more info at the book’s site GameDesignPlaybook.com
Games User Research Jobs
An entry level role with Warner Brothers in Montreal (Thanks Anirudh Ganesh)
UX Design Internship with Riot Games
Associate user research role, with Focus Entertainment in Paris
A junior, and experienced user research role with Play In Lab in Paris
More jobs are added regularly to the jobs page on gamesuserresearch.com
Next Month
That’s it for another month. Found something helpful? Tell a friend - I’d appreciate it.
Coming next month:
🤝 Learn how to run internal playtests with other game developers
💼 How to translate other industry experience into a games user research role
💬 More insider interviews with hiring managers
💼 New games industry jobs
🧑🚀 More!
Have a great month.
Made it to the end? Here’s a bonus duck 🦆!