First Person Sharpshooters: A Study of Console FPS Players
Morgan Romine (PhD student, Department of Anthropology)
The goal of this project is to expand the body of knowledge of sociality in online games to include the players and interactions of console games. Thus far, the majority of research done about online gaming has focused on massively multiplayer online computer games. Rather than investigating the online communities in PC-based games, this study focuses on the players of multiplayer First Person Shooter games that are played on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console using the Xbox Live online networking system. Players will be asked to participate in a web survey consisting of questions covering basic demographic information and their online play experience, and game companies will hopefully provide certain in-game statistics. Ideally, these player surveys and the associated research interactions will provide both quantitative data and ethnographic accounts that can be compared to results of other online gaming surveys and referenced for future assessments of online communities.
Xbox gamers
Thursday, February 5 9:01 pm
I’m really interested in what you come up with and how you are going to approach the problem (methodologically).
Will your on-line survey include things like:
Social interaction of Xbox gaming, does it lead to other compute gatherings: Facebook, Linked In, other forums, game developer sites, hacks, how does it lead to “physical” connections: parties, LAN gatherings, X-Box Live,
Is there any connection to other technologies? Does it lead to uses of other thing? Do more advanced players need more stuff (bigger screens, better graphics, more kinds of feedback, surround sound . . . more “immersive” experiences?)
Where are the x-boxes located? In a public space, semi-public space or a private space? Is the relationship to them different than say a mobile phone, or a laptop or handheld gaming thing?
how would the players feel if game playing was more like hollywood movies and less like homemovies - that is, there are fans who just watch on the sideline, but don’t play. There are contracts with large gaming companies? There is a ton of stuff like : buying the soundtracks/MP3 of a game/match, t-shirts, etc just like a Hollywood release or a sport. Basically, if there were the opportunity for money (career) or sex at stake, does it make the game better or worse?
Related, how do they position themselves to other “gamers”, either those who are mostly on-line or those who are mostly other console gamers? geeks, engineers, social recluse, bored yuppies from California, the “hotties” of gaming?
What are some of the dominate linguistic metaphors (and their deconstruction) around gaming - “killing time” “developing social skills” [see Silvia for that one], addictive, escape, immersive, etc
I’d love to learn more, obviously.
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