So…you didn’t get chosen to participate this time? We know that’s a total and complete bummer.
But the good news is, there's nothing you did wrong, and this doesn’t mean you won’t be selected in the future. And we’re not just saying that! Here are some facts about our recruiting process that might shed some light on how we select players, and why not being selected is such a common occurrence.
We don’t conduct research for ourselves, we work on behalf of video game creators and distributors who want to get early feedback for their works in progress. Most of the time, these creators are looking for feedback on specific attributes of their projects. For example, our studies may be specifically focused on gameplay style, character options, or accessibility features, just to name a few. Therefore, the best candidates for these types of studies would include, respectively, gamers who have played similar styles of games but not in the franchise or on the console being discussed, players who represent the demographic of characters the creators want to ensure they’re keeping true-to-life, or gamers who require certain features in visual or audio accessibility in order to get the most out of their gaming experiences. Such tight parameters exclude many applicants, but these parameters also keep our research at its most effective and efficient.
Sometimes, our studies require only a few participants. Imagine trying to complete a gameplay mission with 100 strangers in your ear all at once. Chaos, right? Now, imagine instead that you’re only on with six others. Much easier to communicate, plan, and reach your goal, right? The same goes for our studies. As much as we would love to include as many players and opinions as possible, smaller groups make conducting the sessions and recording our data much more efficient. If we need more feedback, we hold more sessions, but most sessions have a smaller headcount to ensure we’re respecting everyone’s time — our clients’, ours, and yours.
Sometimes, our studies happen on very tight timelines. Sometimes, we’re fitting our study groups in before a big holiday. Sometimes, we’re called in to gather last minute feedback before a much anticipated release date. Sometimes, we just get called in on short notice like any other business. But when our studies happen on tight timelines, so does our recruiting. And in that time, we have to move so quickly, slots fill up before some applicants make it all the way through the review process. (So sometimes, a screener might be worth clicking as soon as it appears!)
The best way to be chosen more often is to be honest every time. It can be tempting to try and fill out a screener with what you think we are looking for, but our recruiting parameters are often very unique — just like you!
In every screener you take, we want to know who you are, what you like, what you’re playing, and how you feel. While your unique gameplay style, habits and preferences might not be a fit for every study, every study they do fit will be that much more effective for us and fun for you. As difficult as not being selected is, please stick with us as we work to find the best opportunities for you while conducting the best research possible for our clients.
We hope to see you in the lab or online soon!
Disclaimer: Our paid research studies are not intended to serve as a consistent source of income for participants. We conduct market research for industry-leading clients, which requires us to be very specific in our recruiting criteria that often excludes players for a variety of reasons. We always do our best to fit as many fitting recruits as possible into studies, and are always working hard to make the Well Played experience — from screener to session — more enjoyable for everyone.