#82 - Games User Research — with Steve Bromley
E93

#82 - Games User Research — with Steve Bromley

Creating a video game requires more than just development time and coding—to make sure the experience is enjoyable, you have to test it. In this episode, User Researcher Steve Bromley joins us to discuss the nuances of conducting user research in the video game industry.

He describes integrating user feedback with the developer's creative vision, recruitment for games research, and the evolution of the gaming industry since he first started.

Steve talks about…
  • How to integrate user feedback with the developer’s creative vision.
  • What playtesting is (and isn't).
  • The surprising challenges of recruiting video game testers.

Highlights
  • [00:01:16] So what exactly is “games user research?”
  • [00:03:15] What do you mean by “playtesting?”
  • [00:16:51] How do you navigate something as broad as “making a game fun?”
  • [00:27:48] Steve talks about what it’s like to be on the bleeding edge of games research.
  • [00:38:17] How the field has changed since Steve first started out.

About our guest
Steve Bromley specializes in establishing new user research teams and in user research for video games. He wrote Building User Research Teams and How to Be A Game User Researcher. He works with mobile studios, indie teams, AAA teams and VR studios to help them run playtests and integrate user research into the production process. Prior to this, he was a lead user researcher for the PlayStation VR headset.

Creators and Guests

Erin May
Host
Erin May
Senior VP of Marketing & Growth at User Interviews
John-Henry Forster
Host
John-Henry Forster
Former SVP of Product at User Interviews and long-time co-host (now at Skedda)
Steve Bromley
Guest
Steve Bromley
Steve Bromley specializes in establishing new user research teams and in user research for video games. He wrote Building User Research Teams and How to Be A Game User Researcher. He works with mobile studios, indie teams, AAA teams and VR studios to help them run playtests and integrate user research into the production process. Prior to this, he was a lead user researcher for the PlayStation VR headset.