Let’s chat about my work and how I think about it.

Since I’m unable to share actual work from past companies, the examples below replicate my approach and output using myself as the participant. The goal is to demonstrate how I structure analysis and reporting for projects, with these focused on onboarding and early experience. I’m using Fortnite, Elden Ring, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt as my examples. I’d never played them before this.

First up, the first 15 matches of FORTNITE.

The below chart of 15 matches represent a new player’s experience. Extrapolated out, it illustrates what I might create based on dozens or hundreds of players.

I rated multiple aspects and took multiple metrics. I created this chart to visualize some of the main points and to tell a quick story of my experience.

I analyzed this data (and all other data on this page) as I would if it was a larger data set. I crunched the numbers in Excel and then used, among other methods, Claude Opus 4 AI to dig deeper. If I were at a company, I’d collaborate with a data scientist to help me massage the numbers and compare to telemetry.

I’ve found that one of the prime indicators in any type of game is whether or not the player feels like they had a fighting chance. For Fortnite, I always did, even if I died and even if I died early. In fact, statistically, the strongest predictors of fun were 1) feeling like I had a fighting chance, 2) if the match was on the longer side, and 3) if the challenge was high, but not frustrating.

Another one of the scores I gave each match was whether I wanted to quit (Yes, Kinda, No) and despite poor placements, I rarely wanted to quit, indicating I was positively engaged.

CONCLUSION: The data suggests that increasing match times in the initial rounds could boost players’ feeling that they had more of a fighting chance, which in turn could encourage longer play sessions. This effect may be driven by increased awareness of weapon placement, enemy movement/skirmishes, and/or overall map awareness.

Next up, the first 120 minutes of ELDEN RING versus those of THE WITCHER 3.

Both are open-world, third-person fantasy games—but with very different design philosophies. While I tracked more variables than are shown in the charts below, the visualized data tells a clear story. Additional metrics included learning how to play, feeling like quitting, and how often I died.

Elden Ring delivered high challenge and high frustration, paired with low clarity and minimal onboarding—conditions that only worsened over time. I rarely understood what I was supposed to be doing, and died frequently and easily. It felt as though the game was designed to punish rather than guide, making progress feel earned but exhausting.

Meanwhile, The Witcher 3’s design consistently set me up for success. From the start, I had clear direction, minimal deaths, and strong, consistent guidance. I always knew what I needed to do and where to go. Any dips in fun were typically due to long, unskippable cutscenes rather than gameplay issues.

To put a cap on this analysis, let’s compare one more rating: wanting to quit.

As noted earlier, I also tracked my desire to quit at regular intervals. When charted, this metric reinforces the broader analysis—though it’s compelling to see the same story unfold through a different emotional lens.

Over the course of two hours with Elden Ring, my urge to quit steadily increased. Despite the time invested, I had learned very little and still didn’t understand what I was supposed to be doing (and no—I didn’t look up tips online). The game offered minimal guidance, which compounded my frustration.

In contrast, The Witcher 3 rarely made me want to stop. When I did feel that urge, it was typically during long cutscenes that I couldn’t easily skip—not because the gameplay lacked clarity or momentum. In fact, the frustration came from the game insisting I focus on its story, rather than giving me the agency to dive into the experience on my own terms.

Lastly, let’s talk about longitudinals. It’s a method that lends itself very well to understanding entertainment tech.