Find A Mentor: User Research (Mid Career)

Hi! I'm currently an associate user researcher at Bethesda Softworks, but have 4 years of GUR experience where I started out at Activision, then Epic Games. Projects I've worked on include Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Fortnite, and Ghostwire: Tokyo, in addition to various websites and mobile titles. With my MA in Anthropology, I lean more qualitative but know the value of mixed methodology. I'd be happy to answer questions about my experience or to help navigate shifting expectations as you begin to grow in your first role.

Talk to me about:
GUR Methods
GUR Processes
GUR Technology and Tools
Mental Health Support

I'm a user researcher at Activision on Call of Duty. Before this I spent over five years working at Electronic Arts working on a variety of projects including Battlefield 1, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Apex Legends to name a few. I've worked with teams both large and small including a few mobile projects as well. I've worked on games at all stages of development from pre-production through post-launch. Doing this allowed me to approach research questions applying a variety of different methods both qualitative and quantitative. I also did a brief stint at Paypal working on research projects completely outside of games. 

I'd be happy to share more about what I've learned along the way or games in general.

Talk to me about: 

Games User Research methods

GUR Processes

Tech and Tools

Shooters

Console

Mobile

PC

multiplayer

single player

basically anything except maybe puzzle games

Career and Professional Development

Academia

Well met! I've been a User Researcher at Blizzard for two years, where I support Diablo IV. Prior to coming to Blizzard, I completed an MA in Anthropology and a PhD in Informatics. During my PhD I was one of the inaugural Twitch Fellowship recipients, which offered me an internship at Twitch on the Community Research team. The research skills I learned in academia set me up very well for success and to tackle the unique challenges of conducting research in the video game industry.

I've played games all my life and I love the ways that they connect people, but I'm also very aware it's not all sunshine and roses. As a woman growing up gaming, it wasn't always easy to find positive spaces with other players. These early experiences – both the good and the bad- shaped my understanding of gaming communities as well as the direction of my research interests. I wrote my dissertation on gendered practices in video game live streaming, and at Blizzard I'm involved in efforts to make sure our games and our research includes players of all kinds. Gaming is for everyone!

I'm happy to talk about the transition from academia to industry, my research interests, my path to GUR, the day-to-day of my work, and to share advice on preparing for this career.

Talk to me about:
GUR Methods
DE&I in Games
GUR & Academia
Career & Personal Development

Hi there! I’m a User Researcher with Sutherland Labs in London, England. We’re a design research consultancy in which weI work with a range of clients, though my focus is games. I specialise in qualitative research, ranging from 1-1 interviews, diary studies, playtesting, workshops, and more.

Before becoming a researcher, I was a children's social worker, so my path into UXR was a bit non-traditional! I’ve always found people to be fascinating and now I get to combine my curiosity with my passion for games.

Fun facts:

In addition to playing many video games, I also love playing tabletop RPGs and boardgames

I also enjoy wildlife photography, which can kind of feel like I’m playing Assasin’s Creed, so more or less another video game!

Talk to me about:

Research Methods
Business Development
Career and Personal Development
Reporting and Presenting Data
Non-traditional paths to research

Hello! I am currently a UX Researcher at Riot Games, and have previously worked at Scopely and on 2P games research at Stadia, as well as platform based research during my internship at SIE (PlayStation). I actually started my career through this mentorship program 6 years ago and I am excited to help support any prospective researchers navigate their opportunities in this field. 

My first career into the industry started during my Master's program, and I am more than willing to provide guidance and advice for other students looking to break into the space. Additionally, I have a pretty mixed array of experiences (e.g. game environments, stages in game design life cycle, strategic research vs. development) and will seek to give a holistic perspective of what opportunities may be out there, potential keys for success, and considerations for healthy work place practices. Outside of work and games, you can find me enjoying all things coffee so be prepared to hear some recommendations on how to level up both your daily brew (only if you are interested :D). 

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GUR Methods
GUR Processes
GUR Technology and Tools
GUR & Academia
GUR for specific platforms & genres: Mobile games, PC games, Cloud based games, F2P, Gacha games, Indie Games
Business and Personal skills
GUR and Academia

I’m a Senior User Researcher at Playstation EU and have worked on a range of PS4, PSVR and PS5 titles. I’ve spent most of my time working closely with Media Molecule on Dreams, from early development to VR and post-launch testing, using all sorts of testing methods along the way.

I transitioned from an experimental psychology PhD into GUR so have experience of making that jump and am particularly interested in using game telemetry data to enhance user research.

Games User Research methods

GUR Processes

Tech and Tools

Transitioning from academia

Career & Personal Development

VR and Console Game Testing

I am a games UX researcher at Google Play! I have completed three different internships and consulting UX work in graduate school. I am a first-generation college student. I completed my P.hD from Wichita State University with my dissertation topic on accessibility in gaming. I have a passion for creating gaming environments that are accessible and inclusive for all. I do not directly work on games, instead, I work in the gaming space where most of my users are mobile or PC gamers. I mostly conduct qualitative research but I will do quantitative work every so often. I recently started at Google and I am happy to share my experiences in job hunting and interviewing.

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Accessibility in Games
GUR methods
GUR Technology and Tools
GUR & Academia - PhD programs
GUR for specific platforms and genres: Mobile & PC Gaming
Work / life balance
Business and Personal skills
Career and Personal Development

Hi! I'm currently a data analyst at Epic Games supporting the Epic Games Publishing team with KPI reporting for all games in the publishing portfolio. My experience is primarily in quantitative data analytics, with the occasional collaboration with user researchers to provide hybrid qual / quant insights. Prior to Epic Games, I worked at Phoenix Labs for 3 years as a data analyst, where I delivered insights for live service free-to-play games (Dauntless) and set up telemetry and analytics reporting for upcoming games to be released. Prior to my journey in video game analytics, I worked as a software engineer for a year developing user control interfaces for autonomous submarines. I have a background in Computer Engineering and a Master's with a focus on Human-Computer Interaction from the University of British Columbia, where most of my academic HCI research experience comes from.

Talk to me about:

Career and professional development

Quantitative data analytics

Greetings friends! I am a User Researcher at WB Games Montreal and currently leading a wide-variety of projects across different WBIE studios while overseeing the Montreal lab.

Before WB, I graduated in Computer Science, did some R&D work for the gamification market and eventually got my first taste of AAA game development as a Lead QA at Ubisoft Montreal.

Feel free to ask me more about my (non-traditional) path into becoming a Games User Researcher, GUR processes and methods, career and personal advice, my experiences so far and/or just talk about the video game industry overall!

Fun facts:
I love all kinds of games, but have a soft spot anything story-driven and JRPGs!
Other interests include anime, manga and hockey (typical Canadian, I know).

Cheers!

Talk to me about:
GUR Methods
GUR Processes
GUR for specific platforms & genres (Genres: AAA console and mobile games)
Career & Personal Development

Greetings! I’m an academic turned games user researcher with a PhD in psychology. I discovered GUR at the CHI 2016 conference in San Jose and immediately knew where to set my post-doc career aspirations. Prior to joining Blizzard where I support Hearthstone, I worked at Ubisoft Montreal where I helped ship Transference, Far Cry Dead Living Zombies, and Far Cry New Dawn.

Switching from academia to industry has required me to level up my skills as an interviewer, increase my agility and pragmatism when it comes to analyses, and learn how to forge and build partnerships with stakeholders. One thing I love about the gaming industry is that it is home to people with a wide variety of talents. There are many roads to getting into and excelling within the industry, so I always welcome discussing my thoughts and experience. Outside of gaming and research, I’m a bit of a music nerd, and have lots of experience with adapting to different cultures and making moves across the globe.

Talk to me about:

Research Methods

Career & Personal Development

GUR & Academia

SQL

Game Development

I'm Juan, a Brazilian UX Researcher based in Berlin.
I hold a bachelor's degree in Design and a Master's degree in Society and Culture, so I consider myself a designer with a sociology background.
I started my career in 2013 as a Usability researcher at a Nokia R&D Institute based in Brazil. From 2017 to 2018, I worked at a Samsung R&D Institute in Brazil.
In 2018 I started work as a Games UX Researcher at Black River Studios, a game development studio that produced games experiences for Samsung VR platforms, mobile and consoles. At Black River, I also had one year of experience working as a Producer. During this time, I had the opportunity to understand better the business side of the games industry, which contributed to having a holistic vision of the research and its impact on business decisions.
Currently, I'm a GUX Researcher at Gameduell, a german card games company leader in this market.

Talk to me about:
GUR Methods
GUR Processes
GUR Technology and Tools
Business and Personal skills
GUR and Academia

Hi! I’m a User Researcher at WB Games Montreal and have been part of the industry since 2021. I received my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and MSc in Psychiatry/Neuroscience from McGill University, focusing on quantitative analysis and neuroimaging. At WB Games Montreal, I have been immersed in the dynamic world of game development, where I designed and executed many studies on a wide range of projects from AAA to mobile games.

As a researcher who has recently transitioned from an academic background to Games User Research, I can offer valuable insights into adapting to games user research and leveraging your academic skills to facilitate this transition. With proficiency in both quantitative and qualitative analysis, I would be happy to explore diverse research methodologies to tackle a broad spectrum of questions. However, don’t feel limited to these topics only, I’d also be happy to answer any of your questions!

As a big fan of reading and videogames, I love to escape the reality and explore new worlds any chance I get. I also enjoy watching movies and anime.

Talk to me about:

Research Methods

GUR & Academia

GUR Processes

Console, Mobile & PC Games

Career and Personal Development

I would be happy to talk about most any aspect of my work as a UR Project Manager, how I got to it, and where I think things are going—or anything else on which you’d like to hear my experience, advice, or opinions. I have a background in cognitive science, visualization, and opinion mining.

I have a breadth of experience, seeing User Research applied in academia, government, and industry. I got my PhD in Experimental Psychology, worked as a Research Associate for the Brain Repair Centre helping develop rehabilitation (brain-repair) video games. I've completed a few research contracts for the government (Defence Research & Development Canada). Since 2016, I've been working in the gaming industry, with a concentration on mobile games.

My first job in industry was with Ubisoft Halifax, where, as their first User Research Manager, I helped their first dedicated to mobile research lab. Later, at Ubisoft I moved into more of a Data Specialist role. At Ubisoft we supported a dozen or more mobile titles at time, for Ubisoft studios located all over the world. In 2020, I took the opportunity to go work for Kabam as a Senior User Researcher on a smaller team we were able to dive deeper while supporting a smaller catalogue of games. Recently, in 2022, I joined an even smaller team at Alpha Dog Games as a Senior UX Research Analyst. So, I've now worked at multiple companies in multiple roles. Excited to share my stories and meet new people! 

Talk to me about:
GUR Processes
GUR Technology and Tools
GUR for specific platforms & genres (Genres: mobile games)
Career & Personal Development
GUR and Academia

I’m a player researcher at King, working exclusively on 5 games – Pet Rescue Saga, Farm Heroes Saga, Bubble Witch Saga 3, Candy Crush Friends and Candy Crush Jelly Saga. I’ve always working in research since university but have worked across industries – retail, TV, tech and most recently of course, mobile gaming. A naturally curious (or nosy) individual, I have a thirst for learning new things about people! I've worked on features for games at all stages of development from pre-production through to post-launch which is great as I’ve got to apply a mix of different  both qualitative and quantitative methods. I am also doing a secondment in the Design team in Pet Rescue Saga, working closely with the Game and UX Designers and working on a few bits of design myself. This has been a great opportunity to learn more about the development process and to embed research even more thoroughly into production.

Talk to me about:

GUR Methods

GUR Processes

Career and Professional development

Business and Personal skills

Hi! I'm a Player Researcher at CCP Games in Iceland working on EVE Online. I arrived in this country a few months ago and before that I was working in an independent French studio located in Bordeaux on an indie game. My specialization is in Player Research of course but I can also talk about UX Design and it's associated fields. I'm currently working with different teams of developers that I'm connecting with our players in order to improve the game. I'm passionate about my work and I enjoy sharing my experiences if that can be of any help for future researchers. Video games means a lot to me and I organized my whole studies around that, going from 3D, Illustration, web to finally go into UR & UX. I majored in UX Design and specialized in research applied to video games during my two last years of Master's degree. 

Talk to me about:
GUR Methods
GUR Processes
GUR Technology and Tools
GUR for specific platforms & genres: any
GUR & Academia
Business and Personal skills

I'm currently a Senior UX Researcher at Lowe's, before working in e-commerce I worked for several years as a Sr UX Researcher at Full Sail University's UX Lab in which I specialized in qualitative tests for games on both PC and Mobile platforms  Currently in Lowe's I'm in charge of working with stakeholders and designers in order to fulfill business needs as well as to provide insights on current live projects and upcoming products. I'm happy to share my UX experience inside and outside of games. 

Talk to me about:
GUR Methods
GUR Technology and Tools
GUR for specific platforms & genres: Mobile and PC
Career and Personal skills

Hello there! I am a user researcher at Bethesda Softworks operating out of the id Software office in Texas. Prior to my current job, I worked as a UX Lab Analyst at Epic Games. When it comes to user research, my goal is to create a two-way road between developers and players using psychology and user research methods to maintain that road. As a mid-level researcher, my experience and resulting advice are more geared toward breaking in and early career researchers. You're welcome to ask me about research methods, games I've worked on (within NDA limitations!), transitioning from academia to commercial life, and games in general!

Talk to me about:

Games user research methods

PC and mobile user testing

first-person shooters, role-playing games, and action/adventure games

Career and professional development

Academia

Career growth as a junior researcher

I've been working in UX for a decade or so, the first half in mainstream UX and the second half in games UX. I've worked on a variety of titles for mobile, console, and PC markets. Over the course of my career, I've had the wonderful opportunity to create and build UX departments at several studios. My areas of expertise lie in creating high fidelity interactive prototypes fueled by user research, conducting cost effective research, and incorporating UX strategy into existing work pipelines. I'm happy to talk about transitioning into the games industry, user research methodologies, UX design tools, theory, or principles, and am also happy to simply chat about games UX in general.

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I am a User Researcher with Blizzard Entertainment, working with this team for about 3 years. Prior to Blizzard I spent 6 years working at Disney on various games, consumer products, and interactive entertainment experiences. Throughout my time at Disney I was able to grow from Intern, to Associate, to Senior, and now at Blizzard I own the end-to-end process for Warcraft Rumble. I studied Psychology and Political Science in school and didn't discover User Research until after graduating. I am happy to discuss what it's like to learn User Research on the job and help navigate industry style User Research.
As a mixed-race woman in the gaming industry, I am passionate about diversity & inclusion, and I am working to build up DE&I research initiatives within the game dev process.

Talk to me about:

Research Methods

GUR Processes

Games User Research

User Research in Theme Parks

Mobile Game Development

Mid-Career Development

DE&I Research

Hi! I am a developer and editor at Leder Games, a board game publisher best known for the Root, Oath, and Vast series of games. Before joining Leder Games, I worked full-time as a freelancer for many game publishers, including Fantasy Flight Games, Z-Man Games, and Evil Hat Productions. Overall, I have more than seven years of experience in tabletop games as a designer, developer, rules writer and editor, and UX researcher. At Leder Games, I write the rulebooks and aid materials for our games, plan and execute user testing, collaborate with the creative team to implement user-testing insights, manage a team of contract editors, and continuously improve the rules after release by implementing errata and clarifications. Before entering the games industry, I earned an MS in materials science and engineering.

Talk to me about:
GUR Methods
GUR Processes
GUR Technology and Tools
Business and Personal Skills

G'day, I'm a games UX researcher and designer from down under! I've been practicing UR/UX in industry now for over 6 years, 3 years specifically in games.