[pjmlp]

Sure they would.

Game studios were one of the first areas to care for UX.

During the 80's and early 90's many kids got into games by starting as group testers after school.

[PakG1]

At that point, they were insiders or even employees, not final customers, no? Games were released onto cartridges that couldn't be updated once the cartridges were manufactured and in the customer's hands.

[pjmlp]

Insiders if you will, studios would get the kids into a room to play test ongoing development.

It wasn't always the same group of kids.