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GameRate: Social Review Platform
CONTEXT
HCD Thesis project helping players discover new games, share their experiences, and build community.
TEAM
CGU Game Lab— 1 Project Advisor,
2 UX/UI Design Consultants
TIMELINE
Aug 2024 - May 2025
ROLE
Lead UX Researcher — Project Planning, User Research, Product Strategy
GameRate is a social platform concept that helps players discover indie titles, share experiences, and form like-minded communities.
I led the project from early problem framing through final prototype direction. My work included background research, competitive analysis, participant recruitment, user interviews, online community outreach, synthesis, persona development, concept testing, wireframing, usability testing, and final product strategy.
01
The Challenge
Gamers and developers from marginalized backgrounds often encounter a hostile and exclusionary gaming culture, where their contributions receive little recognition. This makes it difficult for them to discover meaningful games, build community, or feel included within the broader gaming ecosystem.
The image contains screenshots of comments from a game hosted on Steam today, which shows the prevalence of misogyny and racism in gamer culture and the lack of content moderation on mainstream game marketplaces.
02
Key Outcomes
1. Interviewed 25+ gamers and devs, uncovering pain points around affordability, accessibility, and toxic community spaces.
2. Prototyped and tested three product concepts, synthesizing qualitative and quantitative insights to inform iterations.
3. Delivered final design that increased player trust and game discoverability with >90% user satisfaction rate.
The comments used in the story are screenshots from a real monster-catching game hosted on Steam today, which not only shows the prevalence of misogyny and racism in gamer culture, but also the lack of content moderation on mainstream game marketplaces.
02
Key Outcomes
1. Interviewed 25+ gamers and devs, uncovering pain points around affordability, accessibility, and toxic community spaces.
2. Prototyped and tested three product concepts, synthesizing qualitative and quantitative insights to inform iterations.
3. Delivered final design that increased player trust and game discoverability with >90% user satisfaction rate.
The comments used in the story are screenshots from a real monster-catching game hosted on Steam today, which not only shows the prevalence of misogyny and racism in gamer culture, but also the lack of content moderation on mainstream game marketplaces.
03
Product Glimpse
The comments used in the story are screenshots from a real monster-catching game hosted on Steam today, which not only shows the prevalence of misogyny and racism in gamer culture, but also the lack of content moderation on mainstream game marketplaces.
04
Process Overview
I followed the Human Centered Design process, incorporating systems thinking and venture building principles.
The comments used in the story are screenshots from a real monster-catching game hosted on Steam today, which not only shows the prevalence of misogyny and racism in gamer culture, but also the lack of content moderation on mainstream game marketplaces.
05
Human Centered Design
The comments used in the story are screenshots from a real monster-catching game hosted on Steam today, which not only shows the prevalence of misogyny and racism in gamer culture, but also the lack of content moderation on mainstream game marketplaces.
06
Product Decisions
1. Not another marketplace
Players already rely on platforms like Steam, itch.io, and console stores. Instead of replacing those systems, GameRate helps users decide what is worth playing before they buy or download.
2. Prioritize Game Logging and Lists
Before advanced recommendations, users need a reason to return. Logging and list-making create the foundation for personal taste, identity, and discovery.
3. Reviewer Profiles to Verify Users
Rather than treating every review equally, GameRate helps users understand who is recommending a game and whether their taste is relevant.
4. Simple Review Format
Participants wanted to contribute, but not everyone wanted to write long reviews. I added prompts and optional rating dimensions to make feedback easier and more useful.
The comments used in the story are screenshots from a real monster-catching game hosted on Steam today, which not only shows the prevalence of misogyny and racism in gamer culture, but also the lack of content moderation on mainstream game marketplaces.
07
Final Direction
The final concept is designed to motivate participation by showing key stats like total XP, achievements, and followers. This solution blends identity, social connection, and gamification to make reviewing feel more meaningful. The “Leave a Review” flow, encourages meaningful feedback about the gameplay. Users give a star rating, optionally provide written feedback, and rate traits like visuals or accessibility using quick 3-point scales.
The comments used in the story are screenshots from a real monster-catching game hosted on Steam today, which not only shows the prevalence of misogyny and racism in gamer culture, but also the lack of content moderation on mainstream game marketplaces.
08
Learnings
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Continuous user involvement is key: Including users throughout the process, even in POV development and prototype design, helped build trust and genuine connection.
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Preparation leads to better conversations: Doing research before interviews helped me ask specific questions and understand the context behind users’ frustrations.
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People want to help: I was delighted by how invested users were in the project and how generously they shared their stories, challenges, and ideas. Even users I had only ever met online were willing to share their experiences and get involved.
The comments used in the story are screenshots from a real monster-catching game hosted on Steam today, which not only shows the prevalence of misogyny and racism in gamer culture, but also the lack of content moderation on mainstream game marketplaces.
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