Ever wondered who the analysts quoted so often in news reports and articles are and what they do? Ars hunted down a couple of analysts to ask what makes them qualified to expound on technology-related issues, products, and news.

We had a chat with Jason Kraft and Chris Kwak, two research analysts from Susquehanna Financial Group who specialize in video games (and who we've quoted before at Ars). If covering video games sounds like all play and no work, think again. Analysts produce guidance that is used by large institutional investors to make decisions about where to put their money, and their knowledge of videogames has to be matched by their knowledge of business. Getting it wrong can cost clients a good deal of money (and analysts their jobs).

Read on for analysis of analysts.