How we recruit, run and report research.

Every study starts from a spec: the players you sell to, described in terms we can screen for, such as the genres they play, the platforms they own, how much they play and the games they’ve finished recently.

Players come from our research panel, recruited to that spec.

• Recruited to your spec
• 18 or over, confirmed at sign-up
• Opted in twice

Before an invitation goes out, a short screener checks each player against the spec. We don’t invite people who work in games or games media, or anyone who has already seen the build.

Where a study needs a particular skill level, players also take a 15-minute trial, so their profile is checked against how they actually play.

• Screened for every study
• Skill checked where it matters
• No industry insiders
• Fresh eyes on every build

Every session is paid, typically US$75⁠–⁠150 for 60 to 90 minutes. The invitation states the exact amount and how it’s paid before a player accepts, and turning a session down never counts against anyone. The 15-minute skill trial isn’t paid, and players know that before they take it.

• Paid for every session
• Terms stated up front
• Free to decline

Every player signs an NDA before they see anything. The studio’s name stays out of invitations unless the studio wants it in, and our work stays uncredited unless you say otherwise.

• NDA before any material
• Studio named only by choice
• Uncredited by default

A moderator’s job is to find out what players think without telling them what to think. We ask open questions that don’t suggest an answer. We watch what players do before we ask what they think of it, and nobody in the room defends the game.

In groups, players note their own reactions before the discussion starts, so the loudest voice doesn’t become everyone’s opinion.

• Open questions
• Behavior before opinion
• Notes before discussion

Every session is recorded. Each observation is logged against its timestamp, then grouped into issues. We keep what players did apart from what they said about it, because when the two disagree, what they did usually tells you more.

Every issue is ranked by severity: how badly it affects the players it touches, and how many it touches.

• Every session recorded
• Did and said kept apart
• Ranked by severity

The report opens with a summary a producer can read before the next meeting. The findings follow, most severe first, each with its evidence and a specific recommendation.

A debrief call then walks your team through it, with the people who ran the sessions.

• Summary first
• Evidence with every finding
• Debrief with the moderators