Abstract
The purpose of this study is to fill the research gap regarding how massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG) players and game contexts transactionally construct meaning in online video gaming as an occupation.
This qualitative study involves six participants who regularly play Runescape, Guild Wars 2, and World of Warcraft. Data is collected through two semi structured individual interviews, participant observation during gameplay, a post-observation interview, and a focus group with all participants. The interview process is ongoing. All individual interviews are complete for Guild Wars and WoW players. Recruitment and interviewing for Runescape participants is ongoing. Interview data will be collected and coded thematically using Braun & Clarke’s (2006) 6-phases of data collection and Dedoose version 8.3.35. Themes within each game and any overarching themes in all MMORPGs studied will be analyzed in accordance with this study’s purpose. Field notes, researcher journaling, coding by each researcher, and member-checking will be employed to increase rigor.
Preliminary data suggests an intricate transactional relationship occurring with personal player factors, the virtual world and its developers, virtual and physical world economies, and third party media creators from the game’s community. These third parties may serve as a bridge to amplify the players’ voices in a way that may speak more directly to developers, forming a transactional loop between players and the developers who regularly update the game. Early findings also suggest that meaning is constructed through the use of expansive platforms to perform identity, continuation of the player role in community interaction outside of the game, nostalgic return to familiar content, and adapting gameplay to pursue interests that may change with the game’s changing environmental allowances.
Virtual occupations are key to consider both in the context of recent shifts towards a prevalence of virtual occupations and in the context of their increasing growth, accessibility, and relevance with upcoming generations. The emergence of varied subcultures within the shared culture of the gaming community and the vast social and vocational networks this occupation supports as an industry make online social gaming key to research from the perspective of occupational science. Researching the transactional factors at play in three games that serve as cultural sticking points in this community may provide occupational scientists with the preliminary data necessary to further research and understanding of this occupation.
This qualitative study involves six participants who regularly play Runescape, Guild Wars 2, and World of Warcraft. Data is collected through two semi structured individual interviews, participant observation during gameplay, a post-observation interview, and a focus group with all participants. The interview process is ongoing. All individual interviews are complete for Guild Wars and WoW players. Recruitment and interviewing for Runescape participants is ongoing. Interview data will be collected and coded thematically using Braun & Clarke’s (2006) 6-phases of data collection and Dedoose version 8.3.35. Themes within each game and any overarching themes in all MMORPGs studied will be analyzed in accordance with this study’s purpose. Field notes, researcher journaling, coding by each researcher, and member-checking will be employed to increase rigor.
Preliminary data suggests an intricate transactional relationship occurring with personal player factors, the virtual world and its developers, virtual and physical world economies, and third party media creators from the game’s community. These third parties may serve as a bridge to amplify the players’ voices in a way that may speak more directly to developers, forming a transactional loop between players and the developers who regularly update the game. Early findings also suggest that meaning is constructed through the use of expansive platforms to perform identity, continuation of the player role in community interaction outside of the game, nostalgic return to familiar content, and adapting gameplay to pursue interests that may change with the game’s changing environmental allowances.
Virtual occupations are key to consider both in the context of recent shifts towards a prevalence of virtual occupations and in the context of their increasing growth, accessibility, and relevance with upcoming generations. The emergence of varied subcultures within the shared culture of the gaming community and the vast social and vocational networks this occupation supports as an industry make online social gaming key to research from the perspective of occupational science. Researching the transactional factors at play in three games that serve as cultural sticking points in this community may provide occupational scientists with the preliminary data necessary to further research and understanding of this occupation.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| State | Published - 2021 |
| Event | Annual Research Conference of the Society for the Study of Occupation: USA - Online Duration: Sep 24 2021 → Sep 25 2021 |
Conference
| Conference | Annual Research Conference of the Society for the Study of Occupation: USA |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | SSO:USA |
| Period | 9/24/21 → 9/25/21 |
Keywords
- MMORPGs
- virtual
- transactionalism
Disciplines
- Occupational Therapy