Introduction
The purpose of this section of the web site is to allow my thesis committee members, the NAU IRB, and the world to have a window into my thesis progress, so that my project’s pace and accomplishments can be easily monitored. I had considered placing this section in this site's Forums, but I wanted the information contained herein to be readily and easily accessible (and I do not know how familiar certain parties are with internet forums generally, so this seemed like the best choice). I have divided this section into several domains. In the Overall Project Statistics section, you will find a variety of totals of things of significance to the project, such as the number of gaming groups I have conducted participant observations with and the total amounts of data collected by type. In the Field Sessions section, you will find a dated entry for every field session I have thus far completed which explains what I collected at that time. In the General Timeline section I will detail all project activities and progress, including such things as official NAU paperwork completed and thesis writing tasks performed. I hope you find this page useful.
Overall Project Statistics
| Total number of field sessions: |
22 |
| Total number of distinct gaming groups included in the project: |
5 |
| Total number of research participants (includes me): |
23 |
| Approximate number of hours I have spent on participant observations. Given that tabletop RPG sessions often times have ambiguous “start” and “ending” times, I have included all time spent in the field with each group that is of relevance to the project: |
160.38 |
| Exact number of hours I have spent composing field notes: |
84.53 |
| Number of single-spaced pages of typed field notes I have thus far accumulated. This includes inserted maps and an occasional image: |
158 |
| Hours of videotape collected during participant observations: |
40 |
| Approximate hours of audiotape collected during participant observations: |
36.67 |
| Number of game-space, digital still images collected: |
104 |
| Number of ethnographic maps produced in association with fieldnotes: |
4 |
| Number of informed consent documents signed and collected. This will exceed the number of research participants for the following reasons: (1) in the beginning of the project I collected one form per player per session [whereas now I collect one form per player per campaign], (2) several research participants are common to more than one gaming group: |
31 |
[TOC]
Other Project Statistics...
| Number of player character (PC) fatalities witnessed during participant observations: |
10 |
| Number of these fatalities caused by other player characters: |
5 |
| Number of animals in-game hurt during participant observations (Not counting player characters who are mutant animals or hengeyokai): |
14 |
| Approximate number of non-player characters (NPCs) and monsters slain in-game during the project: |
61 |
| Approximate number of times I witnessed a player being hit by dice during participant observations: |
57 |
| Number of distinct game systems played during participant observations, counting house variants if a new player of average skill familiar with the original system would have to spend more than 15 minutes learning "house rules": |
4 |
| Number of game systems played during participant observations that were not variants or editions of Dungeons and Dragons: |
1 |
| Highest level (any system) player character I witnessed during the project thus far: |
15 |
| Number of times I have witnessed any player character (PC) surrender to an opponent thus far during participant observations: |
0 |
| Appearances of Dragons (not counting small, faerie varieties or familiars) in-game during the project: |
2 |
| Number of these dragons biting the dust: |
2 |
| Number of player characters (PCs) I have role-played during participant observations: |
3 |
| Number of these player characters biting the dust (this is not a challenge to potential GMs by the way...): |
0 |
| Distinct gaming locations I have participant observed in thus far: |
5 |
| Number of field sessions where I was not gamemastering (GMing): |
4 |
| Number of gamemasters (GMs) I have conducted participant observations with, including myself: |
4 |
| Number of research participants that are female: |
4 |
| Number of research participants I witnessed controlling a player character of a gender other than their own when it was possible to have a character of their chosen species be male or female (where gender here refers to a combination of biology and socialization all wrapped up into male and female as opposed to a concept marking sexual preference - that's covered in the next stat): |
3 |
| Number of research participants I witnessed controlling a player character that was not heterosexual, excluding character species which can not be heterosexual (such as a character species in my one of my campaigns that rotate their morphological sexuality and sexual preference as they advance levels): |
1 |
[TOC]
Field Sessions
| Field Session 22: |
This session occurred at Overlord Games on 09-21-05. were playing the Eye of Minstael, Twist IV., 3.5x campaign, session number 13, which I have entitled, “The Arrival of Dalorl” (a new player character controlled by a new research participant). My fieldnotes from this gaming event contain thoughts on my experiences on 09-20-05 when I was invited to the game store for character generation – I don’t count this as an “actual” session because (a) I didn’t take data on-site (It would have been inappropriate to do so) and (b) it consisted of character generation only. A total of 8 still images were collected, along with three TDK D60 audiotapes (60 minutes each and all full) and one Maxell GX-MP 120 videotape, recorded continuously near the midpoint of the game. |
| Field Session 21: |
This session took place at Overlord Games on 09-07-05. We were playing the Eye of Minstael, Twist IV., 3.5x campaign, session number 12, which I have entitled, “Lord Gorlac’s Tomb.” A total of 5.30 hours of participant observations were conducted, although no other forms of data (aside from extensive fieldnotes) were collected. An excerpt from my fieldnotes frames this session best: "The more I write about this game, the more I re-consider the events in the session and their relevance to the project, the more I enjoy the session. This is interesting, in that on the way home from the game, the initial post-game analysis was actually quite negative. And now, in the telling of it, in the analysis of it, the session becomes quite interesting and enjoyable – the aesthetic object Mackay was describing has taken form, I can recall the moments when the game was fun, it exists now as having been fun! This is particularly groovy, since I had been feeling that this whole process of ethnography had been ruining the experience for me, that in the work and deconstruction I was getting frustrated with the whole idea of gaming – it started to seem as a chore. I have transcended this obstacle." |
| Field Session 20: |
The game took place in my dining room on 09-04-05, and was the 75th session of the Twilight Faerie Realm Campaign. A whopping 14.0 hours was spent on participant observations, which included a particularly interesting post-game analysis event. Aside from my usual DMing notes, 13 still images of gaming spaces were collected along with a Maxell GX-MP 120 videotape and 475 minutes of audiotape. From the player's perspective, this session was particularly enjoyable given that their characters "...were able to accomplish so much in one game, without any defeats." From a research perspective, this session was valuable in that it ignited my thinking about the ways in which gamers perceive of events in-game. As it turns out, the process is far more complex, disjointed, and influenced (perhaps dominated) by the forms of media and entertainment we consume than I would have assumed. |
| Field Session 19: |
This research experience took place at Overlord Games on 08-30-05; we were playing the eleventh session of the Eye of Minstael Campaign, Twist IV. The majority of the game session was focused on an in-game artifact-puzzle the player characters were trying to solve and understand. This time I only collected a series of 4 still images. One Sony MP 120 videotape was also filled, along with three Sony HF Type 1 Normal Bias 90 minute audiotapes. At this point in the project, the role of gender in the construction of gaming space is becoming increasingly apparent. |
| Field Session 18: |
This session took place at Overlord Games on 08-23-05, and featured the tenth installment of the Eye of Minstael Campaign, Twist IV. Considering the amount of times research participants exclaimed "Lord Gorlac!", this session could be called nothing else. I collected one Sony MP120 video tape and three Sony HF Type 1 normal bias 90 minute tapes worth of data, along with 9 still images and an assortment of handwritten notes. In addition to participating in the tabletop gaming session, I also participated in the initial set-up of a Warmachine war game. |
| Field Session 17: |
This game session occurred at Overlord Games on 08-17-05, and was the ninth session of the Eye of Minstael Twist IV. Campaign. The majority of this session was spent on character generation for a new research participant. In my notes I refer to this session as the “Imp fight” adventure, as one combat involving an imp took up most of the actual game play once we got started (and featured perhaps the most unlucky moment for any DM-controlled antagonist in the history of tabletop gaming). 180 minutes of audiotape and extensive handwritten fieldnotes were collected: I had started a videotape to cover the end of the game but the session was called due to player time constraints after only 20 seconds of filming. This session, perhaps more than any other, made me aware of the vast oceans of time which can be spent on gaming-related concerns before the actual game begins. |
| Field Session 16: |
The game took place in my dining room on 08-15-05, and was the 73rd session of the Twilight Faerie Realm Campaign. I added two new research participants and gamed for 9.50 hours. Overall the energy of the session was low (as the majority of the players were fatigued); this allowed me to notice aspects of player behavior I might otherwise have glossed-over or ignored (as I was grumpier than usual and reacted with strong, languaculturally-derived emotions to events in the game). I filled two TDK MP 120 video tapes of continuous data (one segment at the beginning and one near the end), captured 21 still images, and recorded a few pages of detail-rich DMing notes. The title of the session was "The Return of the King?" |
| Field Session 15: |
The game took place at a private residence on 07-27-05. By far this was the most interesting and unusual game session of the project. The game system was, mechanically, d20 modern, but with a few simplifications [there were “simple” and “complex” character sheets, the mechanics were mostly invisible, and so on]. The in-game elements were primarily derived from the board game Clue (the GM’s creativity, his own D7 sources, etc.), and thus the game was kind of like Clue meets d20 modern – perhaps the first hybrid of this type ever played in this universe! During this session I was not GMing, but playing a creative take on the familiar resident of the clue universe, Mr. Green. I filled nearly four audiotapes of continuous data (it was inappropriate to videotape this session), took 9 still images of the game space/floor area, and collected a variety of in-game handouts and character sheets. Overall an amazing time. |
| Field Session 14: |
Occurred at Overlord Games on 07-26-05. I had originally decided to relax and not take data this game session, since to be quite honest the constant process of data collection is reducing my enjoyment of role-playing! Could it be possible? I feel as if I am role-playing too much! But I digress. The session itself had a variety of unusual sexual undertones that do not often find their way into 3.5 D&D game sessions I run. Unfortunately for the player characters, they found themselves in one of the more dangerous textual realities I have yet/ever devised – the plane of Hibernensium. Only fieldnotes were collected. |
| Field Session 13: |
Occurred at Overlord Games on 07-20-05. I made audio recordings of the entire “official” game session, filling 3 standard TDK D90 tapes. A Sony MP 120 two hour videotape was also taken, which ran continuously near the end of the game session. In addition to the participant observation, I spent 3.50 hours composing handwritten fieldnotes which analyzed the role of bricolage in the session prior to typing fieldnotes as usual. If this game were to have a title it would be the “Vampire shoe store break-in” session. |
| Field Session 12: |
Occurred briefly at a private residence on 07-16-05. While I was explaining the project and going over the informed consent document, a player objected to being recorded in any medium and did not want to participate in the project. I thanked everyone for their time and departed the ethnographic scene, since in my opinion it would not have been good ethical practice to even stay for the game. My reasoning was as follows: [1] I might at a later time refer back to my experiences with this particular group and study the player anyway, [2] My presence seemed to make the player in question uncomfortable, and I don’t want to do that, [3] It is possible that the other players might have coerced the player into participation, a situation I don’t want to get into either. This field experience was positive in that it allowed me to face an interesting ethical challenge and overcome it! |
| Field Session 11: |
Occurred at Overlord Games on 07-13-05. This time I had all of my equipment ready to go and felt confident enough to audiotape – not only did I get the entire “actual” session, I also let the tape run as we kind of joked back and forth and discussed the game afterwards. I filled two TDK D90 audiotapes (front and back) and was working on a third. Considering the utility of the audiotapes, I must audiotape every session from this point on. I also took one standard 2 hour Sony MP120 videotape. There were also my DMing notes, which were less than detailed this time as the focus was on role-playing. I did not get any still images as I forgot the camera. Spent 5.67 hours conducting fieldwork and 3.42 hours writing fieldnotes afterward. |
| Field Session 10: |
Occurred at a private residence on 07-12-05. This time I tried to record the entire game session on videotape: filled two standard Sony MP120 videotapes. I brought along the audio tape equipment (finally) but it was too cramped and inconvenient to take audio tape data – besides a rather loud fan near the game table would have made it difficult to get good audio data. I took a series of still images of the gaming space: 9 pics total. As I was not DMing I have no DMing notes. Spent 4 hours conducting fieldwork and 4.85 hours writing fieldnotes afterward. |
| Field Session 9: |
Occurred in my dining room, on 07-10-05. I collected one standard 2.0 hour video tape of the game area – continuously running from start to finish as this has seemed to be the best way (players seem to forget about it for the most part). I also took 14 still image pics (8 where there were players still sitting around the table near the end and 6 well after the game ended). There are also DMing notes (recorded some quotes and minor notes). Spent 8.0 hours conducting fieldwork and 4.48 hours writing fieldnotes afterward. |
| Field Session 8: |
Occurred at Overlord Games on 07-06-05. I collected seven still images of the game spaces and took one standard 2.0 hour video tape (camera angle was behind me and elevated 8’ or so above the action on a table, which was a great position). I also have my DMing notes, which recorded some of the main points of the game and some quotes but little else. Spent 6.25 hours conducting fieldwork and 9.42 hours (!) writing fieldnotes afterward. |
| Field Session 7: |
Occurred at Overlord Games on 06-15-05. I am somewhat ashamed to say, but no materials were collected during the game session aside from my DMing notes – I was simply too rushed to be able to get video tapes or batteries prior to the game (and, in retrospect, I should start hoarding such items for later use). I compensated for the lack of gathered materials by hosting a two hour post-game session at Denny’s where I deconstructed the night’s activities. Spent 6.0 hours conducting fieldwork and 4.38 hours writing fieldnotes afterward. |
| Field Session 6: |
Occurred in my dining room on 06-12-05. For this event I made one standard 2.0 hour video recording. This game was a continuation of last week’s game, and the fieldnotes capture events from both sessions. As usual, I have extensive DMing notes, as well as the physical remains of the gaming area which I have captured in 6 still images. Spent 7.75 hours conducting fieldwork and 3.02 hours writing fieldnotes afterward. |
| Field Session 5: |
Occurred in my dining room on 06-05-05. This session I took two standard Sony MP120 2.0 hour videotapes of data but did not compose fieldnotes, as the preparations for the game and other real-world concerns won out. As I was DMing, I have extensive in-game notes. Spent 7.75 hours conducting fieldwork and 0.0 hours writing fieldnotes afterward. |
| Field Session 4: |
Occurred at Overlord Games on 06-04-05. I collected extensive in-game character notes (as I usually do when playing the character Arjuna in this campaign), as well as one standard Sony MP120 videotape. I have been playing with this particular group since last winter when I was designing the thesis project. Spent 5.24 hours conducting fieldwork and 4.08 hours writing fieldnotes afterward. |
| Field Session 3: |
Occurred in my dining room on 05-29-05. I was DMing what has been labeled The Twilight Faerie Realm campaign: session number 65! Filled two standard Sony MP120 videotapes. No audiotapes were gathered; my DMing notes exist but were not stored with project data. Five still images were taken of the dry erase board in the dining room. The drawings on the board were not altered or created this game session but were referred to as visual aids. Spent 15 hours conducting fieldwork (!) and 6.53 hours writing fieldnotes afterward (which was quite exhausting). |
| Field Session 2: |
Occurred at Overlord Games on 05-28-05. Filled a Sony MP120 video tape, which recorded roughly the first 2 hours of the game although taping stopped a couple of times. No audiotapes or still images were gathered. A collection of player in-game notes (that I always take as Arjuna) were collected, but not stored with project data. Spent 4.83 hours conducting fieldwork and 3.05 hours writing fieldnotes afterward. |
| Field Session 1: |
It was great to finally start taking data! The session occurred at Overlord Games on 05-25-05 and was the first game of a new campaign I was invited to run in the store. I had quite a time, perhaps the best role-playing experience in months. Gathered 4 informed consent documents from the players and filled a Sony MP120 videotape of the first part of the game. No audiotape data was gathered, nor were any still images taken. Technically, my DMing notes exist and could be thought of as data, but they are not stored with other collected data. Spent 6.75 hours conducting fieldwork and 3.32 hours writing fieldnotes afterward. All in all an excellent start. |
[TOC]
General Timeline
| 09-28-05 |
The first full meeting of the thesis committee!! |
| 09-21-05 |
The twenty-second field session of the project. |
| 09-07-05 |
The twenty-first field session of the project. |
| 09-04-05 |
The twentieth field session of the project. |
| 08-30-05 |
The nineteenth field session of the project. |
| 08-23-05 |
The eighteenth field session of the project. |
| 08-17-05 |
The seventeenth field session of the project. |
| 08-15-05 |
The sixteenth field session of the project. |
| 08-10-05 |
Timeline section updated; Quotes section updated to include now 4 campaign sub-components; forums section with 9 registered users and 41 posts! |
| 08-05-05 |
After a couple days of work, the Quotes section is up and running! The hardest part was deciding on a format: I decided to go with a continuation of the old-school, text-oriented feel of the rest of the site. |
| 07-27-05 |
The fifteenth field session of the project, an interesting and unique combination of Clue meets d20 Modern. One of the most enjoyable role-playing games I have ever participated in. |
| 07-26-05 |
The fourteenth field session of the project, which I nearly didn't include as an "official" session: at this point I have come to realize that I will study it inadvertently anyway in the archaeology of my consciousness. |
| 07-20-05 |
The thirteenth field session of the project. |
| 07-16-05 |
The twelfth field session of the project, which only lasted 15 minutes or so due to the advent of an interesting ethical challenge. I also worked a bit more on the Forums section and on getting the other pages of rpgresearch.org up and running. |
| 07-15-05 |
This web site is back in business as I finish rewriting most of the original code. At this point the Master's Thesis Documents section, the Timeline section, and the Forums are ready for surfers. My next goal: to work my way down my navigation bar and put up some RPG terms, a working bibliography, and some quotes. My ultimate reward: the Character Graveyard and the Creative Section. |
| 07-13-05 |
The eleventh field session of the project. At this point, I recognize the benefits of audio recording. |
| 07-12-05 |
The tenth field session of the project. My first attempt to conduct participant observations in a private home other than my own; a fascinating game. |
| 07-10-05 |
The ninth field session of the project. |
| 07-06-05 |
The eighth field session of the project. Extensive fieldnotes were composed over two sessions moving step-by-step through the in-game action. |
| 06-22-05 |
The first version of rpgresearch.org is up and running; it takes too long to load due to an overabundance of images, and was not written to resize for varying displays. I was too excited to notice. |
| 06-16-05 |
I finally focus on learning HTML and spend the next few days making notes and planning the rpgresearch.org web site. Four days later I am ready to code! |
| 06-15-05 |
The seventh field session of the project. Without a doubt, the post-game analysis component of RPGs are crucial to the project. |
| 06-12-05 |
The sixth field session of the project. |
| 06-09-05 |
With the help of a good friend I receive my log in information so I can start playing around with this site. The only problem is this: I don't as of yet know HTML. |
| 06-05-05 |
The fifth field session of the project. |
| 06-04-05 |
The fourth field session of the project. At this point, I come to understand the challenges a research project plus two children under the age of three presents...without Lorien (my wife and best friend) none of this project would be possible and I would never graduate. |
| 05-29-05 |
The third field session of he project. |
| 05-28-05 |
The second field session of the project. |
| 05-25-05 |
The first field session of the project! |
| 05-23-05 |
I register the domain name rpgresearch.org and purchase web hosting services of the site! |
| 05-13-05 |
Project receives approval from the NAU IRB via a written notice from Melanie Birck, the IRB administrator. The Approval Expiration date of the project is set to 04-27-06, but hopefully I will finish well before this time! |
| 05-04-05 |
I am honored as Dr. Cathy Small agrees to be the fourth member of my thesis committee! Her insights will certainly strengthen the final ethnography. |
| 04-19-05 |
Spend a rather long day getting the project in gear. I completed the IRB application (including informed consent form), met with Dr. Riner to discuss changes, made changes, submited the document to Dr. Gummerman for his approval, and turned in the application to the NAU IRB. |
| 04-12-05 |
Completed the NAU IRB web-based tutorial module |
| 02-16-05 |
The second (and final) edition of my thesis prospectus is finished and ready to go; around this time I pass it around to some prospective thesis committee members who might fill the last required slot. At this point Dr. Riner is my thesis committee chair, with Dr. Wilce and Dr. Reed also on board. |
| 09-27-04 |
Finished Journal Entry 1. The project journal entries are brainstorming work sessions not in the context of fieldwork. I won't list out all of the journal entries by date here, but creating the first one was a major achievement. At the time I wrote this the "weekly PRG thesis group" meetings with Dr. Riner and company were in full swing. Spent 2.42 hours writing the entry (which discusses some insights gained at Cline Library earlier in the day) and working on a bibliography of potential sources for the project. |
| 05-05-04 |
First edition of my thesis prospectus is completed. |
| 04-01-04 |
While enrolled in Dr. Dubisch’s (excellent) Writing Culture course, I decide to focus on tabletop RPGs for my thesis topic. During this time I wrote the first incarnations of A Change of Scene over three papers dealing with tabletop gaming, and the difficulty I had describing them in text. |
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