I gave a 1 hour talk at
University of Arizona SIRLS Symposium
14 November 2009.
The slides for that presentation
I gave a half-day workshop about this research
and its application to gaming in libraries
at AzLA in Phoenix, December 7, 2009.
The slides to that presentation can be found on Slideshare.
THE SURVEY HAS CLOSED
Thanks to everyone who participated -- over 1500 of you!
Why Games?
A look into games, gaming culture, libraries, and learning
What brings people to games and gaming as a hobby
What keeps them coming back for more
What do they take out of games back to real life
This is emphatically a work in progress, pursuant to an independent research study by Liz Danforth under guidance from Dr. Chris Johnson (University of Arizona and http://www.21stcenturylearning.com). My Master's degree has been completed, but the research continues.
The work here is "in progress" and in many ways is simply the virtual equivalent of a shoebox full of notecards. I have chosen to spend the time collecting information and not in making it pretty: substance trumps style, I believe. Pretty comes later.
With the survey closed, I will be posting initial thoughts and information. The anecdotes people shared have been genuinely fascinating.
(and yes, bias noted. The Second Life screenshot exemplifies one of the main differences I experience between the active, heroic WoW toon, and the passive stand-around SL av even if she does wear funky makeup ...an example of Carl Jung's Solar Hero and all that, vs everyday simulation of RL.) And yes, the gender distinction here is also a conscious choice. I have multiple toons, of every race, gender, and class available to me in WoW. Since I've been asked, I've recently added a shot of one of my other WoW characters, a troll shaman.)