Over view to a book about research methods edited by Petri Lankoski and Staffan Björk (2015). http://press.etc.cmu.edu/content/game-research-methods-overview
2. What
Overview of game research methods
book
Different research design
Pluralistic perspective on research
approaches
A bit about philosophy of science &
ethics
3. Research Practices
Game research can be seen as its own
research field or a research domain
common to many research fields
Established disciplines typically have a
core set of settled research methods
Not so for new disciplines or those that
are interdisciplinary
4. A Very Short Introduction to
Philosophy of science
Objectivity
Critique by Hume, Popper, Devey
Theory-laden (Kuhn)
Science the most reliable way to form
knowledge
Even the knowledge may be fallible and
approximate
5. Unit of Analysis
What is studied
Can be different that the data gathered
Well-established research fields typically
have identified what is the individual
data collected and analysed
6. Method?
A method is a specific systematic
procedure for handling data (of the
chosen Unit of Analysis)
Data gathering methods (e.g., interview,
observation, questionnaire)
Data analysis methods (e.g., T-test, discourse
analysis)
Mixed methods
Qualitative and quantitative mixed
7. Method, cont.
Qualitative method
Rich descriptions of a
phenomenon
Quantitative methods
Relations between measured
variables
Mixed methods
approaches
Combines qualitative and
quantitative methods in various
ways
?
Images:pixabay(CC0)
8. Methods, cont.
Research question implies possible research
methods
But, you need research to find your research
question
Sometimes you start with other things that
research questions
Research domains
Research projects
…
Research is messy business
9. Overview of our forthcoming
book
For games
Qualitative approachers
For play and players
Quantitative approaches
Quantitative approaches
Mixed methods
Game development for research
e.g., design research
10. What and Not
We cover various very typical game
research methods and some more
esoteric
Opportunistic sampling for chapters
Does (unfortunately) not include all
feasible methods we are aware of, e.g.:
platform studies
historical studies methods
11. Preface
Frans Mäyrä
“Finding and following a methods means
finding a way. The original etymology of
methodology conveys the same
message: meta hodos in Ancient Greek
meant following a path, as well as
finding the way or means to achieve
certain goal.”
General
13. Formal analysis of gameplay
Petri Lankoski & Staffan Björk
Formal analysis of gameplay
Language for describing various
aspects of the game systems
Primitives: components, actions,
goals
Analysis examples
Plant vs Zombies
Ico, combining formal
Qualitativemethodsforstudying
games
14. Time in videogames
José Zagal & Michael Mateas
Formal analysis of temporal frames
Language for describing temporal
aspects of the games
Real-world–gameworld–
coordination–fictive
Interaction between frames
Temporal anomalies
Qualitativemethodsforstudying
games
15. Studying gameplay as interactions
with information
Olle Sköld, Suellen Adams, J.Tuomas Harviainen & Isto
Huvila
Games as information
How players search and use
information in games
Analyzing information, kinds of
information and access to information
Qualitativemethodsforstudying
games
16. Awkward: The importance of reflexivity in
using ethnographic methods
Ashley Brown
Ethnography for games
Focus for MMORPGs
Studying sex using
ethnomethodology
Emotions
Boundary managagement
Qualitativemethodsforstudying
playandplayers
17. In-Depth interviews for games research
Amanda Cote & Julia G. Raz
When to use interview
Ethical consideration
Participant selection & recruiment
Conducting interviews
Thematic analysis
Qualitativemethodsforstudying
playandplayers
18. Studying thoughts: Stimulated recall as a
game research method
Jori Pitkänen
Records for supporting interview
E.g., gameplay video
Possible to look at a specific event
and discuss about that
Planning
Conducting
Analyzing
Ethical issues
Qualitativemethodsforstudying
playandplayers
19. Focus group interviews as a way to evaluate
and understand gameplay experiences
Lina Eklund
Form of interview where people
are interviewed as a group
When to use
Planning
Conducting
How to moderate a group
Transcribing pratices
Analyzing
Qualitativemethodsforstudying
playandplayers
20. Quantitative methods and analyses for the
study of players and their behaviour
Richard N. Landers & Kristina N. Bauer
General introduction to
quantitative research
Reliability & validity
Correlational designs
Experiment designs
Quasi-experiment designs
Quantitativeapproaches
21. Sex , Violence and Learning: Doing effect
assessment for games
Andreas Lieberoth, Kaare Bro Wellnitz & Jesper Aagaard
What counts as evidence?
What can be inferred from the
results?
Effect size
P values & confidence intervals
Quantitativeapproaches
22. Stimulus games
Simo Järvelä, Inger Ekman, J. Matias Kivikangas & Niklas Ravaja
Using games as a stimulus in
psychophysiological studies
Studying cognition & emotions
Advantages & challenges
Quantitativeapproaches
23. Audio visual analysis of player
experience
Raphaël Marczak & Gareth R. Schott
How to collected gameplay data
automatically from a game
Quantitativeapproaches
24. An Introduction to Gameplay Data
Visualization
Günter Wallner & Simone Kriglstein
Quantitativeapproaches
25. Structural equation modeling
Mattias Svahn & Richard Wahlund
Modeling technique for studying
causal relation between variables
Directly
Indirectly
Evaluating models
Assessing models
Case example: Agents Against
Power Waste
Quantitativeapproaches
26. Mixed methods in game research playing
on strengths and countering weaknesses
Andreas Lieberoth & Andreas Roepstorff
Introduction to mixed methods
designs
Why to use mixed method designs
Downsides of mixed method designs
Mixedmethodsapproaches
27. Systematic interviews and analysis:
Using the repertory grid technique
Carl Magnus Olsson
Basis in personal construct theory by
Kelly
Elements – constructs – links
Research designs
Qualitative, mixed methods
Mixedmethodsapproaches
29. How to use modding in experiment research
Possible games for modding
Best practices
Gamedevelopmentforresearch
Extensive modding for
experimental game research
M. Rohangis Mohseni, Benny Liebold & Daniel
Pietschmann
30. Experimental Game Design
Annika Waern &Jon Back
When is game design experimental?
Focus on qualitative design research
Example case Codename Heroes
Gamedevelopmentforresearch
31. Summary
The Book
Overview of different methods
How to use them
Something about research in general
Possible advantages
Toolbox of methods
Understanding of different methods, which fit your research,
and how to apply them
Help reflecting on your research
What is your research question?
What is your unit of analysis?
32. Aims and Perspective
Confusion reigning in game research
What should be studied? (games, gamers,
gaming, platforms, texts, etc.)
What are the legitimate methods?
What does legitimate mean in this context?
We don’t believe there is one correct
answer, i.e., we see game research as an
interdisciplinary field
Method selection should be motivated
This requires awareness of different approaches
33. Aims and Perspective, cont.
To advance game research as a field,
research approaches needs to be more
explicit
This puts demands on researchers to discipline
themselves about being explicit about what they
are doing and why (not why others are wrong)
Descriptions of approaches to provide a
common source where the approaches can
be compared
Research methods is one aspect of this
This graph needs some explaining, e.g. the whole social sciences often have non-tangible UoA rather than humans - design research doesn’t fit in here also and in addition changes things while doing research
Everything that looks like nail is not nail
If you are used to use hammer, everything looks like nail
Methods than have focus on the games itself
Games as formal systems
Games as information system
Not gaming
In these, the player is a theoretical concept
The method abstracts player
e.g., as to player actions
Methods has focus on players’ behavior or phenomenology
Ethnomethodology
Interview methods
How to apply the method when studying games
Mixed methods approaches combines both qualitative and quantitative methods
Introduction to mixed methods research
Repertory grid technique
Mixed methods approaches combines both qualitative and quantitative methods
Introduction to mixed methods research
Repertory grid technique
Mixed methods approaches combines both qualitative and quantitative methods
Introduction to mixed methods research
Repertory grid technique
Modding for experimental research
Developing games for experimental research
Qualitative game design research
Design research is a special where the created artefact is integral part of research
Mixed methods approaches combines both qualitative and quantitative methods
Introduction to mixed methods research
Repertory grid technique