Poll of the Day > Like indie platforming games? Recruiting participant(s) for games user-research

(+) Yeah! (+)

Hi all, I don't usually post on this board, but I've been around a while.

What are we doing?
45-min Zoom play session of a certain, free indie platforming game* plus a 15-min interview afterward

*The game will be privately revealed to interested respondents; it has some resemblance to a certain Disney-themed classic

Why are we doing it?
For coursework, were gathering data about usability and playability issues concerning said game (which is currently in development)

Who are we?
Four graduate students enrolled in a research-and-design course for video games at a university in North America

Who are you?
Someone with some experience and interest playing platforming games

What do we need?
People who meet the following technical requirements and procedural commitments:

1. Computer (Mac or Windows) able to run Zoom and said game, which is available on https://itch.io/ (note that said game can be played in a web browser and with a keyboard or controller)
2. Microphone
3. Reliable, high-speed Internet access
4. Can screen-share the play session
5. Allow play-session and interview to be recorded (recording will not be published)

When will we do it?
Mar 19 - 22, 2021 at mutually-convenient days and times (we're in the Eastern time zone)

Considerations

1. Your participation is voluntary: you may stop at any time for any reason
2. Your live participation will be moderated by one team member and observed by up to three of our team members (you may choose how many observers are in the Zoom meeting)
3. Being on-camera is optional
4. Your recording and identity (name, face, voice) wont be shared with anyone beyond our four-person team and instructor
5. No compensation can be provided
6. We dont have any connection to the development team of said game

Do you have any questions and/or want to participate?

Please reply and I'll send a private message, or send a private message to me.

Thanks for reading!

I do like ma 2d platformers... but yo' requirements are sketchy

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Lokarin posted...

I do like ma 2d platformers... but yo' requirements are sketchy

Yeah, I like the genre, but I'm not down with most of that shit


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If anybody has concerns about the requirements, you can post questions or send them to me privately.

J Sasaki posted...

If anybody has concerns about the requirements, you can post questions or send them to me privately.

The safest way is for us to run a private stream, play the game for up to your 45 minutes as applicable and then move over to discord for an exit interview. That way there is zero tech interactions between us.

Alternatively, just name the game - you seem to imply it's already on itchio

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Lokarin posted...

I do like ma 2d platformers... but yo' requirements are sketchy

Zeus posted...

Yeah, I like the genre, but I'm not down with most of that shit

The requirements to share screen on zoom so they can watch you play a browser game? Its a safe platform. Its not like youre giving them control, zoom is used for all sorts of business and communication. You choose to start and stop. Unless theres some security issues that let you see other windows...and it seems there are new ones found recently.

Lokarin posted...

Alternatively, just name the game - you seem to imply it's already on itchio

thatll mess with results if people play before time...getting good or seeing the surprises.

blu posted...

The requirements to share screen on zoom so they can watch you play a browser game? Its a safe platform. Its not like youre giving them control, zoom is used for all sorts of business and communication.

Oh, you hyper-bourgeois don't understand us proletariat pc problems

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Lokarin posted...

hyper-bourgeois

hey my MacBook Pro is 2012 and bought used....even if specd out.

Lokarin posted...

The safest way is for us to run a private stream, play the game for up to your 45 minutes as applicable and then move over to discord for an exit interview. That way there is zero tech interactions between us.

Alternatively, just name the game - you seem to imply it's already on itchio

In hindsight, I should've made the brief more clear about the session being moderated and why it'd be moderated (i.e. to ask questions as they come up). The downside of 45-min of uninterrupted play and then a 15-min exit interview is that it can be hard for people to remember specific instances of their play that might've happened a while earlier.

Anyway, it's a small study and we're approaching our desired sample size, so no hard sell here.

blu posted...

The requirements to share screen on zoom so they can watch you play a browser game? Its a safe platform. Its not like youre giving them control, zoom is used for all sorts of business and communication. You choose to start and stop. Unless theres some security issues that let you see other windows...and it seems there are new ones found recently.

thatll mess with results if people play before time...getting good or seeing the surprises.

Thanks for your post.