Are you recruiting individual players — or a team?

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A brief asks for players arranged into co-op teams.

Before sourcing starts, one question needs answering: should these people already know each other?

Existing friends and players meeting for the first time bring different relationships into a session. Which you need depends on what the research is trying to understand.

Define the relationship you need

If the study concerns established groups, clarify what counts as one.

Do they regularly play together? How recently? Do all members know each other, or is one person introducing several separate friends?

If the research needs strangers, make that requirement explicit too.

The recruitment unit may be a team, but each individual still needs to meet their relevant criteria.

Validate beyond the organiser

One enthusiastic applicant should not become the sole source of information about everyone else.

Confirm each person’s eligibility, availability and understanding of the commitment directly. Where shared experience matters, explore how the group actually plays together.

Ask about roles, preferred games and a recent shared session. The purpose is to understand the relationship required by the brief.

Knowing the right person is not a substitute for validation.

Check the group’s practical availability

Several individually available players do not necessarily share a suitable session time.

For remote research, establish equipment and access requirements for every member. Explain whether they should join from separate locations or can participate together.

Keep instructions consistent across the group.

Plan for a missing member

Agree what happens if someone withdraws or fails to attend.

Can a replacement join? Must that person already know the others? Can the session proceed with fewer players?

If established relationships are essential, an unfamiliar reserve may change what the session can explore.

Resolve those decisions before booking, rather than improvising at the start of fieldwork.

Recruiting for co-op or social play research? Tell Gromotion whether the relationships between players are part of the audience you need.