You’re watching your playtest results and a player says something really exciting about the game that you think could be great to use in marketing materials or for user acquisition—awesome! However, are you allowed to use clips or quotes from your playtest results for marketing, social media or other promotional purposes?
The good news is yes you can, if you get proper consent from players. We’ll walk you through how do do this below.
When do you need to obtain consent:
When using PlaytestCloud, it is always mandatory to obtain approval from PlaytestCloud and consent from players before using their gameplay footage, audio clips or player interview footage.
For player quotes or survey responses you will share in writing, you may use these without obtaining consent as long as you do not reveal identifying characteristics of the player. Anonymizing the player's name is recommended.
We first require that you write to us at PlaytestCloud to let us know how the footage or audio will be used so we can give approval. Email hello@playtestcloud.com and we'll be happy to help. We then require you to ask players directly for their consent, which is outlined in the next section.
How do I ask for consent from players:
When asking for consent, you need to provide enough context for players to make an informed decision about how you will use their gameplay results, such as explaining the purpose of the use and identifying yourself as the requesting party.
Here’s an example question:
Do you consent to allowing [Your Company Name] (the organization developing the game you played) to use clips of your gameplay in our marketing campaigns? We’d use clips of your audio and gameplay video on our social media channels and will anonymize your name to protect your identity.
Yes, I consent
No, I don’t consent
Ways to Obtain Consent on PlaytestCloud:
The best option is to ask players for consent in a post-playtest survey, as players must answer the survey to complete the playtest and cannot skip the consent request.
If the playtest is fewer than 30 days old, you can ask players for consent using the "ask additional questions" feature after the playtest finishes. Note: This method does not guarantee a response from players.
If you are on a Professional Advanced or Enterprise plan with PlaytestCloud, you can make a special request for our team to screen for players who give consent to have their videos used. In this case, it is important to provide a clear description of how the content will be used so PlaytestCloud can include that information in our screening process.
Important: You must state your company name when asking for consent, which will make players aware of your company before they playtest your game.
Conclusion:
Obtaining consent from players not only protects their privacy and rights, but it also helps to build trust with our player community. Ensure that you take the necessary steps to obtain consent before using player feedback for marketing purposes to show the world how great your game is.