In this episode of Growing Pains, GDL host and Games Strategy Consultant, Jay Uppal sits down with Bastian Bergmann, the Co-founder of Solsten.io. Solsten is a Consumer Insights research firm that aims to put individual players back at the core of the game development cycle. They use psychologically backed techniques meshed with traditional behavioural research to identify the way and how behind a player’s action to offer clearer insights for decision-makers to better understand their audience and more effectively communicate with the player rather than the statistic. In this discussion Jay and Bastian delve into Solsten’s journey so far and the importance of understanding your gaming audience and their intrinsic motivations; as well as how a players psychology offers new insight into your players mindset and what that could mean for your game. Growing Pains is a series focusing on key business trends and people shaping the Global Games Market and their impact on the Games Industry, In this series Jay speaks with industry leaders across the Games and Gametech space; trying to demystify the industry, understand the state of leadership, and answer the all-important question ‘Is having a fun game sill enough to succeed in today’s games market?’ Jay Uppal https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayant-uppal-18ab34a5/ Bastian Bergmann https://www.linkedin.com/in/bergmannbastian/ Solsten 2024 – State of the Player Report: https://solsten.io/state-of-the-player Gen-Z Traits Article: https://solsten.io/blog/gen-z-traits-ideology-gap Bastian’s Blog: https://technicallyentertaining.substack.com/ Solsten Website: https://solsten.io/

Episode 4 Segments: 00:00 It’s Getting Harder to Make Successful Games 00:30 Introduction to Episode Four 02:04 Introduction to Bastian 04:07 Founder’s Journey for Solsten 13:04 Player Research: Behaviour vs Psychology 23:50 When Player Psychology Matters 32:05 How to use Player Insights 37:05 Empowered Marketing: Finding your Players 46:50 Gaming & Gender 52:15 The Startup Mentality 01:01:05 Opportunities with AI 01:05:35 Navigating Data Privacy 01:07:35 Tips for Founders 01:10:45 Solsten’s Vision & Closing Thoughts