Information is now everywhere. If you work for a large company or a publisher, someone is going to come to you with analytics, and you need to be able to understand them in order make proper use of them. As a student or indie developer, you're not excluded: you'll see reports online, in industry news, and you'll get feedback from your fans and your playtests. Understanding the basic framework of analytics will help you determine, for yourself, what the value of this information really is and how it can be used improve your design process. Epic Games' Jim Brown explained exactly how to use analytics to inform game design at GDC Europe in June. Brown's presentation is viewable above, as well as at the official GDC Vault website.

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers. Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support. Gamasutra and GDC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Tech