QUO VADIS - Game Development & Business conference

Diary studies are a user research methodology that follow users in an early game version playing at their own leisure over a longer period of time. This talk presents the methodology and contrasts it with general playtesting. Using the case of our recent diary studies on Anno 1800, we explain the many advantages of receiving direct player feedback in the early stages of the development. Diary studies provide a direct link between developers and a game's community and allow getting the opinion leaders onboard. It provides the dev team with actionable feedback on long-term motivators as well as late game features. Takeaway: Get crucial player feedback earlier in the development cycle, and involve the development team more directly in this feedback.