Participating in something which features a paid incentive does not mean you were paid for your work.
But sure, I don't agree that pay is a single barometer for whether someone is a game developer, which is why I expressed several reasons why I don't feel survey participation makes you a game developer.
Survey data is just a resource for game developers to use. Without analysis and interpretation, it doesn't do anything. It takes a team of user researchers to interpret the data, communicate the findings, and translate the information into an something actionable. Additionally, an individual survey has no impact on the games design unless the findings corroborate the findings from other participants.
I don't think those who develop resources for game developers to use are game developers. I wouldn't consider the team behind LUA to be game developers, despite being one of the most used tools in game development. I wouldn't consider the Visual Studio support team to be game developers, despite being a resource game developers lean on. You're not really clarifying anything with your responses, I understand well the role of marketing, your argument is an argument that they are professionals and that's never in contention. They
develop analysis ancillary to the actual game itself. They develop
marketing, not the game. Game developers can be influenced by that analysis, but the analysis is not the actual development of the game.
Very easy question -- ask yourself what do these teams actually, literally make? As in, what is the end result of their day to day work. Further, ask yourself what is a game? A game, to most I'd wager, is a binary application that is interactive that displays video and audio elements to the player.
What does a programmer make? Binary applications. What does an artist make? Video and audio elements.
What do marketers make? Analysis of market wants. What does QA make? Analysis of binary applications.
You see the difference? One actually develops the things we call a game, the other develops ancillary analysis that can
influence those who make the game, but is not actually the creation of the binary application or art.