Games User Research

Games live and die commercially on the player experience. Games User Research is collectively the way we optimise the quality of the user experience (UX) in games, working with all aspects of a game from the mechanics and interface, visuals and art, interaction and progression, making sure every element works in concert and supports the game UX.

This means that Games User Research is essential and integral to the production of games and to shape the experience of players. Today, Games User Research stands as the primary pathway to understanding players and how to design, build, and launch games that provide the right game UX.

Until now, the knowledge in Games User Research and Game UX has been fragmented and there were no comprehensive, authoritative resources available. This book bridges the current gap of knowledge in Games User Research, building the go-to resource for everyone working with players and games or other interactive entertainment products. It is accessible to those new to Games User Research, while being deeply comprehensive and insightful for even hardened veterans of the game industry. In this book, dozens of veterans share their wisdom and best practices on how to plan user research, obtain the actionable insights from users, conduct user-centred testing, which methods to use when, how platforms influence user research practices, and much, much more.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction To Games User Research

Part I Games User Research in production
Chapter 2 Games User Research As Part Of The Development Process In The Game Industry: Challenges And Best Practices
Chapter 3 It Is All About Process
Chapter 4 Post-Launch In Games User Research
Chapter 5 User Experience Maturity Levels: Evaluating And Improving Games User Research Practices
Chapter 6 Designing A Games User Research Lab From Scratch

Part II Methods: Testing Things you play
Chapter 7 An Overview Of Gur Methods
Chapter 8 A Framework For Player Research
Chapter 9 Surveys In Games User Research
Chapter 10 Interviewing Players
Chapter 11 Observing The Player Experience: The Art And Craft Of Observing And Documenting Games User Research
Chapter 12 The Think-Aloud Protocol
Chapter 13 The Rapid Iterative Test And Evaluation Method (Rite)
Chapter 14 Heuristics Uncovered For Games User Researchers And Game Designers
Chapter 15 Heuristic Evaluation Of Playability: Examples From Social Games Research And Free-To-Play Heuristics
Chapter 16 Introduction To Biometric Measures For Games User Research
Chapter 17 Developing Actionable Biometric Insights For Production Teams: Case Studies And Key Learnings
Chapter 18 Reporting User Research Findings To The Development Team
Chapter 19 Game Analytics For Games User Research

Part III Case Studies and Focus Topics
Chapter 20 Punching Above Your Weight: How Small Studios Can Leverage Data For An Unfair Advantage
Chapter 21 Affordable And Data-Driven User Research For Indie Studios
Chapter 22 ‘Play As If You Were At Home’: Dealing With Biases And Test Validity
Chapter 23 Dissecting The Dragon: Gur For Dragon Agetm: Inquisition
Chapter 24 Running User Tests With Limited Resources And Experience
Chapter 25 Starting From Scratch: Pragmatic And Scalable Guidelines To Impactful Games User Research
Chapter 26 Strategies For Understanding And Researching Mobile Games In Context
Chapter 27 Involving Players With Special Needs In Games User Research
Chapter 28 Gamer Motivation Profiling: Uses And Applications
Chapter 29 Social Network Analysis In Games User Research
Chapter 30 A Short Guide To User Testing For Simulation Sickness In Virtual Reality

Conclusion: The Future Of Games User Research

Chapter 31 Frontlines In Games User Research