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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Video Game Analyst

💰 $65,000 - $115,000

Data & AnalyticsGamingBusiness IntelligenceProduct Management

🎯 Role Definition

As a Video Game Analyst, you are the crucial link between our players and our development teams. You will dive deep into vast datasets to uncover the 'why' behind player behavior, translating complex numbers into compelling stories and actionable insights. Your analysis will directly influence game design, monetization strategies, and the overall player experience, ensuring our games are not just fun to play, but are also successful and engaging for years to come. If you're passionate about gaming and skilled at unraveling the secrets hidden in data, this is your opportunity to shape the future of our titles.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • QA Tester
  • Junior Data Analyst
  • Market Research Assistant

Advancement To:

  • Senior Game Analyst
  • Lead Analyst
  • Product Manager
  • Game Producer

Lateral Moves:

  • Data-driven Game Designer
  • Monetization Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Analyze vast, complex player telemetry and economic data to identify actionable trends, behavioral patterns, and opportunities for improving player engagement, retention, and monetization.
  • Design, execute, and rigorously analyze A/B and multivariate tests to optimize in-game features, live events, user acquisition campaigns, and monetization mechanics.
  • Develop and maintain comprehensive dashboards and performance reports using BI tools (Tableau, Power BI, Looker) to track and communicate Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to stakeholders.
  • Translate complex analytical findings into clear, concise, and actionable recommendations for non-technical audiences, including game designers, producers, and marketing teams.
  • Build and validate predictive models to forecast critical business metrics such as player churn, lifetime value (LTV), conversion propensity, and future engagement levels.
  • Conduct deep-dive analyses on core game loops, game economy balance, feature adoption rates, level progression funnels, and social interaction patterns.
  • Collaborate closely with data engineering and development teams to define data collection requirements, ensure the integrity and quality of telemetry data, and help design data models.
  • Perform comprehensive pre-launch and post-launch analysis to evaluate the performance of new content, balance changes, features, and live events against defined success metrics.
  • Monitor the health and balance of the in-game economy, identifying potential exploits, sources of inflation/deflation, and proposing data-informed adjustments.
  • Segment the player base into distinct behavioral archetypes or personas to enable personalized in-game experiences and targeted marketing communications.
  • Create and present compelling data narratives that influence product strategy and champion a culture of data-informed decision-making across the studio.
  • Partner with product managers and game designers to establish measurable success criteria and robust measurement frameworks for new features before development begins.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness and return on investment (ROI) of marketing initiatives and user acquisition channels on player quality and long-term value.
  • Utilize advanced SQL to query, transform, and manipulate massive datasets from various sources, including game servers, transaction databases, and player account systems.
  • Apply appropriate statistical methods and techniques, including significance testing, regression analysis, and clustering, to ensure the validity and rigor of analytical results.
  • Stay current with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in game analytics, data science, and the free-to-play (F2P) market.
  • Investigate and report on in-game cheating, fraud, and botting patterns to support live operations and security teams in maintaining a fair play environment.
  • Develop frameworks for measuring and analyzing player sentiment by combining quantitative data with qualitative feedback from forums, social media, and customer support channels.
  • Provide analytical support for competitive intelligence and market research efforts to understand the broader gaming landscape and position our titles effectively.
  • Author and maintain detailed documentation for all analyses, models, and dashboards to ensure knowledge is shared, and results are reproducible.
  • Work with game designers to model and simulate the potential impact of design and balance changes on player progression and the long-term health of the game economy.
  • Define and analyze user conversion funnels, from initial install to core loop engagement, to identify friction points and opportunities for improving the new player experience.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis from various teams.
  • Contribute to the organization's broader data strategy and analytics roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate high-level data needs into specific engineering and reporting requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning, retrospectives, and other agile ceremonies within the data and analytics team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Advanced proficiency in SQL for querying and manipulating large, complex datasets from relational databases and data warehouses (e.g., BigQuery, Redshift, Snowflake).
  • Strong experience with data visualization and business intelligence tools such as Tableau, Power BI, Looker, or similar platforms to create insightful dashboards.
  • Programming skills in Python (with libraries like Pandas, NumPy, Scikit-learn) or R for advanced statistical analysis, data manipulation, and automation.
  • A solid, practical understanding of statistical principles and experimental design, including A/B testing, multivariate testing, and statistical significance.
  • Experience in building and deploying predictive models (e.g., for churn, LTV, conversion) using machine learning techniques.
  • Deep knowledge of key gaming industry KPIs and metrics, such as Retention, Churn, LTV, ARPU, ARPPU, DAU/MAU, and conversion funnels.
  • Familiarity with data pipeline concepts and ETL/ELT processes to collaborate effectively with data engineers.
  • Experience working with event-based telemetry data common in games and mobile applications.
  • Ability to perform complex player segmentation and cohort analysis to understand different user behaviors.
  • Financial modeling and forecasting skills to project revenue and player growth.

Soft Skills

  • Data Storytelling: Exceptional ability to translate complex data into a clear, compelling narrative for diverse, non-technical audiences.
  • Critical Thinking & Problem-Solving: A curious and analytical mindset with a talent for breaking down ambiguous problems into manageable, data-driven questions.
  • Collaborative Spirit: A proactive team player who thrives on working with cross-functional teams like design, product, and marketing.
  • Business Acumen: A strong understanding of the business goals behind game development and the ability to connect analysis to commercial impact.
  • Passion for Gaming: A genuine interest in and deep knowledge of video games, game mechanics, and player motivations.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree

Preferred Education:

  • Master's Degree or PhD

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Computer Science
  • Statistics
  • Mathematics
  • Economics
  • Data Science
  • Business Analytics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 2-5+ years of experience in an analytical role (e.g., data analyst, business analyst, data scientist).

Preferred:

  • Direct experience in the gaming industry, particularly with live-service, free-to-play (F2P), or mobile games, is highly desirable.
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