Press start to begin is the message gamers have been greeted with since the early days of interactive entertainment. Hitting that start button is typically the player’s first interaction with a game after putting in the cartridge or disk, the moment they go from passive observer to active participant. As the number of gamers and the devices they play them on grows, game designers and developers are increasingly looking in the direction of User Experience to help them craft interactions that not only make it easier for users to play their games, but to enhance the experience of the game itself. This year we plan to dig deeper into how UX is being practiced in the games industry, especially in the areas of design and research. We'll present real-world applications of UX design and research in games and how they impacted them.