Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
non-participant or
observer
(from http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/law/st_org/
iptf/commentary/content/1999060506.html, accessed on 24 January 2007). We
refer you to both the online commentary as well as elsewhere in this book for
a more extensive discussion of lurking.
The challenge for researchers is to determine whether or not their form of
research necessitates participant-observation. If yes, then it is necessary to
determine if acknowledgement of online observation is necessary and war-
ranted. As noted by Henderson, ethically a researcher probably needs to inform
research participants that they are being observed (2007: 379). However, it's also
important to consider whether or not the knowledge of observation will impact
findings. For a more substantive discussion of using the internet for ethno-
graphic research, consider the work of Christine Hine,
Virtual Ethnography
(2000), and Andreas Wittel (2000).
In addition to determining when and if to reveal the researcher's presence in
an online environment, it's also important to consider what types of social phe-
nomena are appropriate for analysis in virtual environments, where people
role-play, emboldened by the social distance and perceived anonymity of the
online environment, and create representative likenesses of themselves. We
can probably all agree that the online environment represents something, but
just what it represents still needs to be determined.
Gaming as research
There are a number of ways in which online gaming can be used for research.
In some instances games are the subject of research, with researchers study-
ing the content with concerns about issues such as race, gender and violence.
For example, Dave Grossman has researched extensively on the topic of vio-
lence in games (Grossman, 1996; Grossman & Degaetano, 1999). In other
instances, researchers are interested in evaluating social interactions and
community in gaming environments. Education professionals research gam-
ing to understand the ways in which we learn from the engagement and the
interaction, acquiring team-building skills, certain social skills, self-confidence,
and so forth (see Prensky, 2006).
A unique area of research, however, involves a simulation which is, itself, a part
of the research instrument. Most simulation research, to date, has focused on
educational simulations. Data collection has been oriented around improving
the efficacy of education and training models (Gibson, Aldrich & Prensky, 2007).
However, other disciplines are beginning to see ways in which gaming data can
be useful. For instance, a doctoral researcher in finance who is now a faculty
member at the University of Maryland, Myeong-Gu Seo, used an internet-based
stock investment simulation combined with an experience sampling method to
examine the dynamics of affective experience and its effects on decision making
in a real-life setting (Seo & Barrett, 2007). The simulation technique enabled
