Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about Playtest program. Click a question from the list to show the answer. You can also view the answers to all of the questions by selecting the
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Anyone can enroll in the Playtest program. Children 12 and younger should have a parent or guardian help them fill out the enrollment form, and will need to send in a signed parental consent form within 30 days to remain enrolled. See the Information for Parents section if you have more questions about enrolling your child.
Yes, please! We are very interested in hearing opinions from experienced, novice, and non-gamers alike. We love to hear a wide variety of opinions, and would love to have you participate, no matter what level of experience you have with games.
Yes, please do! We Playtest a wide range of games on a variety of gaming consoles, as well as on the PC. We are always excited to have individuals who do not play Xbox or Xbox 360 games participate in our program.
Your information will be added to our database automatically after you enroll. As soon as we have a study that seems like a good fit for you, you will be contacted.
Please contact us as soon as possible to let us know. It is very helpful for us to know ahead of time that you are unable to attend. You may contact your Study Coordinator, or you may reach us at: playtest@microsoft.com
No! Quite often it’s necessary for us to call many hundreds of people in order to find participants with the right mix of age, gender, and experience needed for a particular study. Not qualifying for a study doesn’t mean you said something wrong, it simply means that the study wasn’t a good fit for you.
For security reasons, all of our participants must be scheduled ahead of time. We are not able to accommodate ‘walk in’ participants. However, we are always happy to get referrals. Please feel free to contact your Study Coordinator to see if we are able to accommodate your friend. If not, we may have other opportunities available.
You may participate in Playtest once every two months. We will continue to call you as relevant opportunities arise for as long as you are interested in participating.
Most (but not all) of our Playtest studies are held at our Millennium campus. A map to this location can be found here. Your best bet is to contact your Study Coordinator to make sure this is the right location. You can also reach us via email at: playtest@microsoft.com.
Depending on the type of study you’ll be attending, the scheduler will ask you to arrive 15-30 minutes before the scheduled study start time. This gives you a little extra time to find the building, park and get signed in at the front desk.
Several designated visitor parking spaces are located near the entrance of the buildings. However, these are in high demand and may not be available upon your arrival. If you secure one of these spots during business hours, be sure to register your vehicle license plate number with the receptionist. You may also park in spaces labeled “Microsoft” or “MS” (employee spaces), or you may use the free valet parking service available near the rear of the Millennium F building. Again, please be sure register your vehicle license plate with the receptionist after parking your car, even if you use the valet service.
Yes, we have disabled parking at all buildings where Playtest studies are held. Please inquire with your Study Coordinator for information about the specific locations of these parking facilities.
We want participants to arrive with no pre-conceived notions or expectations about the product they are testing, so it’s important that we keep mum about what you’ll be testing.
No. We ask all participants to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) prior to testing. We take this agreement very seriously. This document states that you will not discuss any aspect of the study or the game being tested outside of Microsoft -- indefinitely. You can say that you were at Microsoft, and that you participated in a Playtest, but in order to participate you must agree not to talk about any specifics, such as: game title, graphics, features, etc. We appreciate your understanding in this matter.
Maybe or maybe not. A lot of the games that we test are unreleased. Unreleased games won’t be available for purchase immediately after testing, and some may never be available for purchase. We test released retail games as well, and they may be available for purchase at your nearest retailer.
No. While much of our Playtesting is done in the greater Puget Sound area, we are always looking for individuals across the nation, and internationally who are interested in Playtesting.
We do our best to accommodate all dietary restrictions when lunch is being provided as part of a game testing session. Please contact your Study Coordinator ahead of time to make these arrangements.
Yes. Please let your Study Coordinator know ahead of time, and we can make sure that any adjustments you may need are arranged prior to the study session.
It generally takes 6 to 8 weeks for gratuity items to be processed and shipped when they are out of stock. If you have waited longer than this for a gratuity to arrive, we can check the status of your order. Please email: playtest@microsoft.com for this request.
