Hi there
My RL name is Åsa Rosenberg and I’m a PhD student at the department of Sociology, University of Gothenburg. I have been playing computer games since I was a kid and I have dedicated my PhD work to exploring different aspects of online multiplayer games. Just for fun I recently made a quick list of games I remember playing for more than a few hours. Check it out:
ATARI, Commodore, Playstation: Mortal Kombat , Tekken 3, MDK, Resident Evil, Super Mario, Leisure Suit Larry, Hero, Impossible Mission, Ricky Dangerous, Buggy Boy, Nebulus, Arkanoid, Xenon, Fiendish Freddy’s Big Top O’ Fun, Tetris, Pac-man.
PC: Sims 1, Sims 2, Diablo 1, Diablo 2, Dungeon Keeper 1, Dungeon Keeper 2, Gunz, Quake, Battlefield 2, Gunbound, Drift City, Civilization 4, Age of Empires 1, Age of Empires 2, Age of Empires 3, Warcraft, Starcraft, Descent, Panzer General, Left4Dead, Plants Vs Zombies, Crayon Physics Deluxe, Fallout 3, Travian, Tribal Wars + a bunch of arcade games I don’t remember even half of them but for example Jurassic Park and a bunch of racing games. I have also participated in Second Life for more than 2 years though Second Life is probably more suitably labeled a “virtual world” or “online space” than a game.
What’s so interesting about games that would make someone want to spend a few years writing about them? Well, first of all we are spending an increasing amount of time in them which raises basic questions such as: Why do we play games? How do we want to play? How is gaming activity related to other parts of life? Research on online games is still very young and many simple questions are still largely unanswered such as age, ethnicity and gender ratio among players in different games. Though many such questions about online games can seem simple, the answers are not easy to come by.
There is also a lot of prejudice about games. Playing games, particularly computer games, is still often perceived as something unproductive, meaningless or even dangerous. But there are of course both positive and negative aspects of games, just as there is with most parts of life. Social research can advance our knowledge about which parts are good and which parts are bad, and research can help create a better understanding for games among decision makers in society.
In my research I work with participant observation, or “online ethnography”. As an online ethnographer you take part in an internet based environment for an extended period of time. You try to do what other people in that environment are doing and you often communicate with those people about your experiences. Basically you try to gather as much different information as possible about the online space you are studying, and participating is a central part of that process. Online ethnography is my primary method but I also use formal interviews and surveys.
If you have any questions about my work or just want to have a chat, send me a mail at asa.rosenberg@sociology.gu.se and I’ll get back to you asap.
Have fun!
