FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We get asked this question more than anything else. You’re not alone in thinking this is too good to be true.

First, yes. We are a legitimate business. We operate out of our Atlanta headquarters. You can meet our fantastic team of employees by clicking "Meet the Team" in our header. We continue to receive great reviews on Facebook and Google. Here is a video of our founder and CEO, Mark, explaining a little more about the business.

We are a market research company. We pay $100-200 per participant for everyday people to share their opinions on topics with us. We are paid by our clients to collect and analyze these opinions, so we always pay those who provide those opinions to us (unlike some marketing research scams). Sometimes, we compensate our participants with giveaways — like a free Nintendo Switch or PS5 — but we’re always up front with what the compensation per study will be, as to avoid any surprises.

It's important that we point out — our research opportunities are not intended to be a revenue stream. Instead, think of a Well Played Research panel as a great opportunity to try something new, have your opinions heard, and make a bit of money for your time.

We host online and in-person video game research sessions that can last from 60 to 180 minutes, and may be in a group or one-on-one setting, depending on predetermined project criteria. In these sessions, you may be part of a roundtable discussion, see previews of upcoming games and concepts, and sometimes even participate in a playtest. (Yes! You could get paid to play video games!)

We choose panel participants based on their answers to a basic survey about gameplay habits and preferences. This survey is sent via email to our registered users and is accessible to first-timers through Opportunities page. From there, our recruiters work to match you with an upcoming opportunity, contact you via phone, text, or email to get to know you a little better and set up logistics. Day-of, you participate in the group and are digitally paid via Paypal or an Amazon gift card (if preferred) within 48 hours.

Really, there isn't one. In fact, we tend to only get one complaint — we can’t host everybody all the time. We know it sucks not getting picked. (Everyone wants to get paid to play video games — even us!) We always want to host as many people as possible in our video game research sessions, so we encourage everyone interested to stick close to their inbox and our website and social accounts for more upcoming paid gaming opportunities we hope will be a great fit.

The truth is, nobody answers emails anymore, and we have found reaching out via text to let you know you’ve been selected is far easier for both sides when we want to get the ball rolling on a study.

We know it’s a sketchy scene out there — we get all those trash calls, too — but our stance on privacy remains the same — we don’t, won’t, can’t, wouldn’t share your information with anyone, and our proprietary recruiting database keeps everything safe and encrypted. Also, your phone number is unique only to you — and everyone tends to have only one — so, having a phone number associated with each profile helps us weed out unfair duplicate screener submissions, helping everyone’s chances of being selected more often.

We can only collect the data you share directly with us, so if we need it, we have to ask for it. If we don’t need it, we won’t ask. And if we have it, we’ll keep it safe. Here is our privacy policy. We only use provided information for recruiting. Period.

Email

If we ask for your email, it’s to either set up an account with our recruiting database, to contact you directly about opportunities, or ensure you can get paid. That’s it.

Phone number

If we ask for your phone number, it’s so we can complete your final screening communications before bringing you in for a paid opportunity. We don’t cold call, so rest assured you’ll receive a text to know we’ll be in touch.

Location

We don’t need your address, but may need your general location to ensure you’re a fit for an in-person study or within a client-specified demographic.

Gamertags and User IDs (like Oculus ID)

It’s rare, but sometimes we do have to ask for user IDs like Steam Name, PSN Online ID, Xbox Gamertag, or Oculus ID. We do not ask for your password. Your user ID is only used temporarily to get you logged into a group to participate in a paid opportunity. We will never use this information outside of the research setting, and unless you add these IDs to your Well Played profile, we will not store this data.

YES! We are always looking for people that represent the broad audience of gamers. Sometimes, the perfect fit for our research is someone who doesn’t play the genre or title we’re researching. We value the opinions of everyone willing to share them with us. Fill out our survey as honestly as possible, and we’ll connect you with the right video game research opportunity if and when it arises.

Yes! Right now, Well Played Research only allows kids 13 and older to participate in our video game research.

Yes! Please share our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Website, the referral link in your profile, and any survey links you may receive via email or ads. All participants have to go through the screening process, but we welcome anyone and everyone you want to recommend.

If you've taken our introductory survey, you're signed up in our database and will be notified of the next video game research opportunity when recruiting begins. Most people won’t be recruited back-to-back, but stay tuned to your inbox and our social media accounts to follow along with any and all new opportunities in the works that may be a fit for you.

If you've taken our introductory survey, you're now in our recruiting database. So you’ll receive an invitation for every opportunity we think might be a good fit for you — this might be a few or a lot! Filling out every survey increases your likelihood of being chosen, but always answer honestly.

Sometimes, our criteria states that we can’t re-use a recent participant.

Sometimes, we require a small, niche audience, so we need everyone we can get within that category, regardless of their last participation date.

This is why answering every survey is the best way to get selected — our criteria is always changing!

All you need to do is complete our introductory survey. Then, we’ll send all applicable gaming opportunities directly to your email inbox. That's it!

1. The Survey: Whether you’ve opened an email, visited our site, or clicked an ad, you’ll always begin your Well Played Research experience by taking a survey. These surveys usually take about 5 minutes to complete, and your answers will help us determine whether or not you are a good fit for the video game research group at this time, so be sure to be honest.
   

2. Recruiter Touchpoint: When you are a good fit for a group, someone from our recruiting team will reach out to you using the contact information provided in your survey (so ensure it’s correct). First, you will receive an email or a text asking to set up a time to answer a few last minute questions via phone — usually just to update us about what you’ve been playing lately and times and dates you’d be able to participate.
   

3. Logistics Email: If all updates and availability still align with our needs, the recruiter will provide an email and text with logistical details — addresses, times and dates, login information, etc. You’ll get a time and date reminder closer to the session date.
   

4. The Event: Whether you’re attending an in-person or online event, we ask that you arrive on time. We’ll get everyone signed in and technology situated before beginning the actual study. Every study is different, but most include a discussion that will be led and moderated by one of us. Listen to the directions, share your opinion, ask questions, and have fun!
   

5. Get Paid: Our participants are always compensated, and we deliver payment via PayPal or an Amazon gift card. After the study concludes, you will receive an email asking you to specify your preferred payment method, the associated username or email, and payment usually arrives within 1-2 days, barring any issues with processing.
   

6. Share, Stay Tuned, Surveys: More paid gaming opportunities will arise sooner rather than later, and every survey informs us of your updates and continuing interest in participating again. Share your experience and feedback by giving us a Facebook or Google review or getting a friend or two to sign up!

We deliver payment via your choice of PayPal or an Amazon gift card. After the study concludes, you will receive an email asking you to specify your preferred payment method, the associated username or email, and payment usually arrives within 1-2 days, barring any issues with processing.

Whether or not you’re new to Well Played Research, it’s important to know and remember that, unfortunately, we can’t host everyone all the time. Usually, our groups have to be very specifically recruited, so not everyone will be a fit for every study. It’s easy to get discouraged, but here are a few ways to stay close to the Well Played pulse:

1. Take our introductory survey. When we begin recruiting, we start with who’s already in our database, so sign up by taking this survey and we'll send opportunities to your email we think might be a good fit for you.
   

2. Keep taking the surveys when they arrive. We know, it’s a lot. But stick with us and know that we greatly appreciate your time, every time.
   

3. Be honest in your surveys. Don’t say yes to everything. Sharing your actual knowledge base and gaming habits ensures we’ll fit you to the right opportunities quickly. Being dishonest creates chaos on our end, and it’s a surefire way to not be invited back.