Anthropological study of the fighting games community

ayjayirl · 13-06-2011 10:29AM #1

Lads, my better half is doing her final year thesis on “Language and its affect on a sub-culture: a fighting-games community in Ireland”. This is a follow on from her project last year with Inferno 17 where she used a form of participant observation to learn about said topic. She will be helping me out on the day setting up and wanted to do another participant observation on this EVO event – it being the biggest we have done…. well, hopefully. She has asked me to start a thread to allow her to explain to all of you what it is and that its voluntary etc etc. So here is the thread started – she’ll reply to this with details.

This is completely voluntary and anonymous and if anyone has a problem they don’t have to be included at all. As I said she’ll be posting in this thread next with details and feel free to ask her any questions or queries about it – she’d love nothing more.

Thanks,
Aj

Doctor DooM · 13-06-2011 10:33AM

I'm ok with it, obviously

Zoomyzoom · 13-06-2011 10:42AM

ayjayirl wrote: »

Lads, my better half is doing her final year thesis on “Language and its affect on a sub-culture: a fighting-games community in Ireland”. This is a follow on from her project last year with Inferno 17 where she used a form of participant observation to learn about said topic. She will be helping me out on the day setting up and wanted to do another participant observation on this EVO event – it being the biggest we have done…. well, hopefully. She has asked me to start a thread to allow her to explain to all of you what it is and that its voluntary etc etc. So here is the thread started – she’ll reply to this with details.

This is completely voluntary and anonymous and if anyone has a problem they don’t have to be included at all. As I said she’ll be posting in this thread next with details and feel free to ask her any questions or queries about it – she’d love nothing more.

Thanks,
Aj

[FONT=Utopia, serif]Hi Guys, with your permission (those who would like to be involved in my research) I would like to conduct 'Ethnographic' research through applying the qualitative method of 'participant-observation' alongside 'informal interviewing' within the communities' social space (tournaments, online [/FONT]boards.ie[FONT=Utopia, serif], online commentary) in an effort to explore my research question.[/FONT]

[FONT=Utopia, serif]Anthropological topic of interest - “Language and its affect on a sub-culture: a fighting-games community in Ireland.”

Snipped from my proposal which I think will be helpful for those who want to know what my research is about - "There is evidence to suggest that online fighting-games communities have the ability to creates neologisms (newly coined terms, entering common use but have not yet been accepted into mainstream language) in an effort to efficiently describe specific events, persons, situations and actions. My thesis will examine whether this phenomena occurs within the context of this particular fighting-games community in Ireland"[/FONT]

[FONT=Utopia, serif]During this summer I would like to attend each tournament, as a guest of Doom and Aj, and record our experiences and interactions within tournament. I would also like to record interactions on the online forums and the online commentary during the games. The emphasis will be centered around the linguistic discourse that occurs and the semiotic relationship that is so innate in this discourse. I will use 'field-notes', 'descriptive-notes', photographs and other recording devices (video camera and recording equipment use to records the commentary) to record the experience; also know as my data. The development of my 'field-notes' and any 'data' collected for my Anthropology thesis will be collaboratively developed; meaning that each individual as a 'participant' and I as the 'researcher' will work together in an effort to describe and illuminate our experiences. The method of informal interviewing (more like a conversation rather than a questionnaire/survey for those who are wondering what informal interviewing is) may take up a few minutes of each participant's time. I would like to record each informal-interview with a hand-held audio recording device. Each participant will receive their own copy of their interview along with the transcription for their personal review. Each participant will maintain full autonomy over their own data and can choose what they would like included and what not to include.[/FONT]

[FONT=Utopia, serif]There are no risks involved in this research and the interviews along with the method of participant-observations DOES NOT constitute as any type of scientific experiment and/or psychological counseling or treatment. All identities will be kept confidential and I will use a [code names/pseudonym] to identify your information and other data in an effort to maintain complete anonymity. Neither personal names nor private information will appear in the final thesis. I will store all recordings, transcripts and other notes of our conversations safely in a locked box located in a locked desk. This information will also be kept on a password secured folder on my laptop. All information regarding participants will be kept completely confidential.[/FONT]

[FONT=Utopia, serif]The benefit to the community is that community will have full access to the research when it is finished and may use it to understand how the experience of the individuals of this community compares with others or to the wider Anthropological literature. All information regarding participants will be kept completely confidential. All participation is voluntary and individuals are free to refuse to take part, can refuse to answer any questions and may stop at any time. [/FONT]

[FONT=Utopia, serif]Those who were at 'Inferno 17' will have already experienced what it is like to be part of Ethnographic research as I conducted a small participant-observation project during that tournament. [/FONT]

[FONT=Utopia, serif]It would be highly unethical of me to include anyone or any member who does not want to be part of my researcher. I must re-iterate that all participation is voluntary. Everything that I record or write about will be coded and full anonymity will be maintained for those who are concerned about anonymity. Any person or member who does not want to be part of my research can be assured that I will not included them or any details about them.
[/FONT]
[FONT=Utopia, serif]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Utopia, serif]Thank you all for you help in advance; it is greatly appreciated.

[/FONT]
Kind regards and many thanks
Rachel Phillips

Konata · 13-06-2011 10:54AM

Wow, that sounds like such an interesting thesis topic!

Good luck with your research

Zoomyzoom · 13-06-2011 11:06AM

Thanks...hopefully it will go well lol

Sairus · 13-06-2011 11:36AM

I'm interested to see how this turns out! Best of luck with it, and I'm fine with my data being sampled.

pdbhp · 13-06-2011 12:14PM

Once there's more rice krispie cakes to eat I'm good:D

ayjayirl · 13-06-2011 12:16PM

pdbhp wrote: »

Once there's more rice krispie cakes to eat I'm good:D

€1 a cake.

Zoomyzoom · 13-06-2011 12:45PM

Of course! I will be making rice-crispy cakes for all the participants (for free Aj

) in an effort to show my appreciation to all those involved. However, there will be a fresh supply of cakes to buy on the day.

Dreddybajs · 13-06-2011 01:54PM

Sounds great, I'm in.

K.O.Kiki · 13-06-2011 01:59PM

Rachel, make sure you hang out on the IRC channel; it's taken on a life of its own.

#IrishFightingGames on QuakeNet

Doctor DooM · 13-06-2011 02:30PM

You should release some rice krispie cakes for free, but without paying people won't have access to evil rice krispie cakes, true rice krispie cakes, or twin rice krispie cakes.

Zoomyzoom · 13-06-2011 02:54PM

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

Rachel, make sure you hang out on the IRC channel; it's taken on a life of its own.

#IrishFightingGames on QuakeNet

Will do and many thanks

Owwmykneecap · 13-06-2011 02:55PM

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

Rachel, make sure you hang out on the IRC channel; it's taken on a life of its own.

#IrishFightingGames on QuakeNet

It's mainly you posting hentai and fergus asking to be a mod.

This reminds me of the episode of Bones where Bones goes to study the people at the Jersey Shore. But with less guidos and more hadokens.

GTL baby.

Sabre0001 · 13-06-2011 03:12PM

Doctor DooM wrote: »

You should release some rice krispie cakes for free, but without paying people won't have access to evil rice krispie cakes, true rice krispie cakes, or twin rice krispie cakes.

And if you pre-order from certain places, you get them made with marshmallow

Voa · 13-06-2011 03:15PM

Evil marshmallow rice kripsie cakes, you say? I'm in.

Fergus_ · 13-06-2011 03:21PM

Best of luck with it! \o/

Ramza · 13-06-2011 03:22PM

Awesome, I'm down

ayjayirl · 13-06-2011 03:24PM

Fergus_ wrote: »

Best of luck with it! \o/

I think you'll need a parental consent form to participate in her research cause you are under 18......

lol

Misty Chaos · 13-06-2011 04:09PM

If you hear someone say ' You've being Mistified! ' on the day then that was me winning a match.

But seriously, it sounds like an interesting topic your working on and I have no problem with you collecting any sample data from me.

pdbhp · 13-06-2011 05:13PM

ayjayirl wrote: »

€1 a cake.

Boycott:p

Orim · 13-06-2011 05:48PM

Sounds good. The one from the online fights was interesting, be really cool to see what you come up with after 3 months or so.

Xinkai · 13-06-2011 08:55PM

sounds good

Need any interviews hit anyone up, I'm sure they'd be happy to help you too

SuperInfinity · 13-06-2011 09:46PM

OP, you are using the word "anthropological" wrongly.

You want to talk about the history of fighting games, not the "anthropology" of fighting games.

an·thro·pol·o·gy

(nthr-pl-j)n.1. The scientific study of the origin, the behavior, and the physical, social, and cultural development of humans.

Orim · 13-06-2011 09:56PM

No he is using it right. His better half (trust me, this is not just expression in this case

) is doing an anthropological study on the language and social development specific to our fighting game community. This is for her thesis.

I wouldn't presume things but I'm guessing that you didn't read one word of this thread. Because in this thread we are in no way talking about the history of fighting games or our community. In fact the first line fairly clearly states this :

ayjayirl wrote: »

Lads, my better half is doing her final year thesis on “Language and its affect on a sub-culture: a fighting-games community in Ireland”.

D4RK ONION · 13-06-2011 10:00PM

Isn't it the anthropology of humans specific to the community "fighting game players" she's looking at?

A-Trak · 13-06-2011 10:10PM

LOL,

Reading the initial post of a thread, and using an online dictionary definition of "anthropology," aimed at someone who's doing a masters degree and drafting a final thesis in said subject whilst failing to read the rest of the thread.....

The ironing is delicious

Post 3 SuperInfinity, Post 3

SuperInfinity · 13-06-2011 10:11PM

Orim wrote: »

No he is using it right. His better half (trust me, this is not just expression in this case ) is doing an anthropological study on the language and social development specific to our fighting game community. This is for her thesis.

I wouldn't presume things but I'm guessing that you didn't read one word of this thread. Because in this thread we are in no way talking about the history of fighting games or our community. In fact the first line fairly clearly states this :

I skimmed to see if anyone was arguing linguistics and it didn't appear they were. >_>

A-Trak wrote: »

LOL,

Reading the initial post of a thread, and using an online dictionary definition of "anthropology," aimed at someone who's doing a masters degree and drafting a final thesis in said subject whilst failing to read the rest of the thread.....

The ironing is delicious

Post 3 SuperInfinity, Post 3

It doesn't say this in the OP.

A-Trak · 13-06-2011 10:19PM

SuperInfinity wrote: »

I skimmed to see if anyone was arguing linguistics and it didn't appear they were. >_>

It doesn't say this in the OP.

Yup, it does.

“Language and its affect on a sub-culture:

And even if that wasn't clear, post 3 is a very detailed explanation of the study, which I'm guessing you "skimmed" before wading in with your copy and paste definition.

Orim · 13-06-2011 10:25PM

D4RK ONION wrote: »

Isn't it the anthropology of humans specific to the community "fighting game players" she's looking at?

Anthropology is a noun. Used to describe the study itself, don't think it can used that way.

But yes, it took me a while but I should have mentioned players. Although I don't think that's what it's really about. I think it's based on masochists that stick with Honda in AE and the ego maniacs that drop him

SuperInfinity wrote: »

I skimmed to see if anyone was arguing linguistics and it didn't appear they were. >_>

We wouldn't be. This is the fighting game forum. Doesn't make the use of a word wrong.

SuperInfinity wrote: »

It doesn't say this in the OP.

Must have been some skim to miss the first line.

Placebo · 13-06-2011 10:28PM

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT
Im available to be interviewed online.
I think its worth taking a look at sensory motor contingencies on this, mind+motor skills come a lot into it.

Anthropological study of the fighting games community

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