Synergy between play and research was designed into the Game Research Lab facilities.

Located in Rensselaer's Social and Behavioral Research Laboratory, the lab includes a reconfigurable sectional sofa, plasma screen tv, all major game consoles and an extensive game library, a coffee table, mini-fridge, and game storage tower more reminiscent of a livingroom than a lab.

Activities in the lab can be captured using up to four cameras which can be trained upon player's faces as they play, their bodies as they dance or perform other game moves, as well as on spectators who are taking part in the experience. The video from these cameras can be combined with output from the tv screen to create a richer picture of the gaming experience for later analysis.