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User studies: a strategy towards a successful industry-academic relationship

Game industry-academic relationships are traditionally related to technology development and education, but more research-oriented partnerships outside of direct technology development and education are forming. With these types of partnerships come stumbling blocks that must be resolved for successful outcomes. Meanwhile, user-oriented research is becoming an essential component in game production due to its utility in guiding the quality of game products. Academia can help inform user studies, which calls for industry-academic partnerships. This opportunity has enabled and stimulated the collaboration between Simon Fraser University and Bardel Entertainment in Vancouver, British Columbia. This paper discusses the importance of game industry and academic collaboration, current opportunities, and strategies based on the SFU-Bardel partnership. Two in-progress projects are detailed: developing novel user testing methods and guidance on design through navigation analysis and playtesting sessions.