User research is an often overlooked but absolutely crucial part of developing a successful game. Although there has been a strong increase of popularity of user research in games, the methodologies that are used to gain player insights are highly questionable from a neuropsychological perspective. The core issues with traditional user research methodologies are that they only measure conscious data, although 90% of decision-making and emotions are subconscious, and that it fully relies on self-reported and thereby subjective data that is collected post-exposure. To fully understand the deep and often overlooked reservoir of subconscious human motivations and emotions that influence human behavior, an objective second-by-second depiction of the true emotional responses to stimuli are necessary. This can only be achieved by measuring the emotions directly where they happen, namely in the brain. How that can work in practice is demonstrated in this talk.

1. Neurotechnology Machine Learning
User Experience
How Neuroscience revolutionizes User Research

2. 2
Solution: Psychology + Neurotech

3. 3
How does the
human brain
work?

4. 4
Feelings
Decisions
Encryption
Survey Feelings
Emotion Extraction
(easy)
Decryption

5. 5
Classification of emotions based on valence and arousal

6. 6
Understand Players’ Emotions In Space
active
negative positive
Disturbed
Amused
Sad Satisfied
Excited
Anxious
passive
Bored Relaxed

7. 7

8. 8
Gustav Intro
7 years in finance 2 years in gaming

9. 9
PixelFed
slide

10. 10
Concept
Prototyping
Pre-production of a MVP
Production
Tests
Internal Launch
Tech/Soft Launches
global launch
Overlooked
conceptual
error

11. 11
Target
audience
Words
WS
Visuals
Specifics…
Decisions
We know:
1. For whom
2. What they say they want
3. What they click on
4. A lot of other claimed data
Pixel Federation Conceptualization

12. 12
Testing Methodology And Limitations
Brainamics Magic
?
● EEG data collection
● 7 participants
● Exposure to 7 creatives
and survey
● Parallel Market Test

13. 13
Target Audience
● > 30y
● tycoons, strategy games
● themes
● 50% payers, 50% non-payers

14. 14
Best Creatives Start With Strong Excitement
Creatives
Strong excitement burst
in the first 10 seconds
Great KPIs
Low CPM and
high CTR

15. 15
Insights That Market Data Does Not Reveal
Hidden Potential
Brainamics’ data uncovers
potential of creatives
without strong start

16. 16
The Best Concept/Creative
● Best market test and
survey results
● Strongest excitement
in the first 10s

17. 17
Next Step: Merge Concept 5 with the potential of Concept 6
Stay Tuned…

18. 18
Concept
Prototyping
Pre-production of a Minimum Viable
Product
Production
Tests
Internal Launch
Tech/Soft Launches
global launch
Overlooked
conceptual
error

19. 19
Concept
Prototyping
Pre-production of a Minimum Viable
Product
Production
Tests
Internal Launch
Tech/Soft Launches
global launch
Overlooked
conceptual
error

20. Philipp Zent, CEO & Co-Founder
www.brainamics.de
philipp.zent@brainamics.de
Gustav Pastucha, RnD Producer
www.pixelfederation.com
gpastucha@pixelfederation.com