Making the best of imperfect data: reflections on an ideal world

Abstract

As we gather data to inform game design choices, we often run into situations where the information we gather is acquired through biased methodologies or incomplete in some fashion or not necessarily suited to answer the specific question at hand. This talk will speculate on how we could attempt to solve some of these common issues as well as look to the future of what might be possible in Games User Research. By drawing on relevant findings from psychology, examples drawn from real world experience, advances in technology, and a healthy dose of optimism, this talk will attempt to envision a world where our processes are less biased, our data is more complete, and we are able to address a much broader range of investigations than is currently possible.