User Profiling in Game Development : A comparison of theory and practice

Abstract: This study aims to answer the research question: How does the academic accounts of user profiling compare to how practitioners of game development use user profiling? Knowing one’s users is a key part of designing a product, so that you know which features to prioritise. This is of course also true for video games. One way to achieve this is to categorise the users based on key characteristics, such as their age or their motivations. This is also known as user profiling and is commonly discussed in academic literature. However, it is not known how user profiling is used within the industry of game development; if even at all. To research this, two UX/UI designers at a Swedish game development studio have been observed and interviewed, which has resulted in a list of differences in how the academic literature says about user profiling and how practitioners use user profiling. This can be used to bridge the gap between the two, which could aid in designing and researching for a better user experience in video games.