A new research project from the University of York is inviting gamers and student game developers to take part in a study about something many players do every day: deciding what game to play together. The following piece has been written by one of the research leads Ross Fifield about the project.
If you regularly chat with friends on Discord and end up debating which game to launch, the researchers want to hear from you.
The project explores how groups of players negotiate these decisions in real time. While there is a lot of academic research about gamers, much of it treats players as individuals. In reality, choosing what to play is often a shared process between friends, family, guild members, teams, or communities.
Players might suggest games, hesitate, react with emojis, joke around, or pause before agreeing on something. These small details are a normal part of how gaming groups make decisions, but they are rarely studied in depth.
This research aims to change that.
Understanding how people decide what to games to play matters
For many gamers, deciding what to play is not a simple choice. Friends might have different moods, time limits, skill levels, or game libraries. Sometimes a group jumps quickly into a match. Other times the discussion can take longer than the game itself.
Understanding these conversations could help researchers and developers learn more about how players organise their time together. It may also reveal barriers that stop people from playing games they might otherwise enjoy.
The project focuses on the conversations that happen before gameplay begins. Researchers are particularly interested in how groups talk through options and gradually reach a decision.
How the Study Works
Participants will record their discussions when deciding what to play together on Discord. A bot called Discmeet will be used to record and transcribe conversations in a dedicated voice or text channel. Only participants who have agreed to join the study will be able to see or access these channels.
Participants will also install Playnite, a game library manager that can log which games are played and for how long. These logs will help the researcher understand what happens after the conversation ends.
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The study is organised in three stages.
Section 1 – A Short Pilot
The first stage recruits two Discord communities. Conversations will be recorded for one week, and participants will upload their Discord transcripts and Playnite play logs.
The goal here is simple: show that the method works and that the data collected is useful.
Section 2 – A Larger Community Study
The second stage expands the study to four additional Discord communities, each with roughly six participants. This part of the research will run for around three months.
Participants will continue recording their gaming discussions and uploading play logs. In addition, they will take part in a short recorded meeting once per week, lasting around 10–15 minutes.
These brief conversations will help the researcher understand the context behind each gaming session and compare how different groups make decisions. Communities could include:
- MMO guilds
- FPS clans
- esports teams
- casual friend groups
By studying several different types of gaming communities, the research hopes to build a broader understanding of how players coordinate play.
Section 3 – Mapping Types of Gaming Communities
Toward the end of the study, up to 20 participants will be invited to join a longer discussion lasting up to one hour.
In this session, participants will help develop a simple taxonomy of different “types” of gaming communities. The aim is to create a clearer picture of how social gaming groups operate across different styles of play.
Ways to Get Involved
There are two main ways to participate.
First, you can nominate a Discord server that you are part of where people regularly discuss what games to play.
Second, if you own or manage a Discord server, you can nominate your own community and agree to host the study. This means setting up a dedicated voice or text channel where conversations can be recorded for the duration of the research.
Participants must be 18 or older.
The study also offers small rewards. Participants may receive game credits or vouchers, and participating Discord servers may receive boosts during the study period.
A Chance to Shape Future Game Research
For student game developers, this project offers a rare opportunity to contribute directly to research about how real players organise social play.
Game design often focuses on gameplay mechanics, matchmaking systems, or player behaviour during matches. But the conversations that happen before a game starts are just as important.
By capturing these everyday discussions, the study hopes to build a clearer understanding of how gaming groups actually make decisions together.
If you and your friends spend time in Discord figuring out what to play next, your conversations could help shape the future of social game research.
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