Should my answers about "Gaming community" be more representative or the 5-6 people with which I regularly play these sorts of games, or the broader community of enthusiasts with which I could play these sorts of games (e.g. at a Convention) or the even broader group of people with which I might discuss these sorts of game (e.g. on these message boards)?
Since, for example, the group I personally play with is carefully curated to avoid the sorts of prejudices I feel one is very likely to encounter, say, at random tables at a convention.
HI all.
I am doing a research for my graduate thesis about collaborative gaming where I want to find out how are the online gaming communities different from the tabletop ones, specifically, I am looking at you D&D players :)
I've done several field observations within D&D gaming communities and I know people build up connections and care for each other while often defining their space as safe and inclusive. On the other hand, my findings so far, point out that online gaming social and collaborative dynamics are different and more varied.
With this research, I decided to get to the bottom of it. I’m looking to finding out what exactly are those distinctions between tabletop RPGs and online RPGs and what can we learn from both online and offline gaming communities to design better gaming experiences in the future.
I’m interested in people who play games regularly with a group of friends or within a community of gamers. I would be incredibly grateful if you could take 10-15 minutes and fill this out for me. I designed it with the gamer in mind :) Also, if you like the survey and you want to talk about the topic or about designing awesome gaming experiences, drop me a line at tinyoctupiatgmail.com
Find my survey here:https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Gamorheea02
I have an issue with your second paragraph. You have used the term 'I know' based on what appears to be a very small sample size. I would suggest that your starting point is invalid. A perusal of these boards, particularly the Advice section will find that there are also groups which do not have such a nice dynamic and have problematic players and/or GMs. As a personal example, about 15 years ago I ran what was initially a large group (11-12 players). Three or four never made it to session two and I had to eject one player after session 4. At about session 7 a clash of personalities between the players meant that half the group left and formed a new group, which I also GMed. Both groups played for a couple of years before life events meant play was no longer possible.
I suspect that the groups you have met are stable groups that have already resolved the issues surrounding different personalities and play styles. They may be inclusive because they are on the look out for more players.
I'm curious: what graduate level program are you in? At what university?
The survey design and sampling technique aren't going to give you valid data from which to draw any generalizations. How did your committee ever approve this survey and your sampling technique?