Exploratory Research: Creative Gamers

Summary of My Role

I was hired by a small agency to be the lead researcher on this project because of my experience with this contextual interviewing, running complex diary studies, and my broad gaming knowledge.

I was the sole researcher on the project. The agency team also included a project manager and recruiting specialist. We had one primary contact on the Client side.

Research Objectives:

1. Understanding Creative Gamer Motivations

Characterize the core motivations of these gamers… understanding both how they differ from other gamers but also how they can be broken down within the group of “creative gamers.”

2. Identifying Unique Needs

Better understand the unique needs and challenges of this subset of gamers. A lot of gaming research by large OEMs and other hardware manufacturers has been oriented toward “high-octane” gamers who play games for the action and competition.

3. Exploring Social Elements

Understand any social element to their creative gaming whether it be sharing their creations or participating in related communities.

4. Hardware Decision Making

Investigate how they make choices surrounding their PC hardware and characterize how that ties back to their core motivations.

Research Activities

1. Initial Interviews (60 mins each)

Initial Interview with each player where they show us how they create, talk about the project they plan to work on over the next three weeks, and then get oriented to the diary study.

2. Diary Study (3 weeks)

Diary study where participants fill out multi-media surveys each day to update on their play.

3. Debrief Interviews (60 mins each)

Debrief Interviews where players show us what they have created, go into detail about their PC setup, and reflect more on their motivations for this type of gameplay.

Project Challenges:

Want to know more? Shoot me an email at uxnoah@gmail.com, or schedule a time with me here.