Assignment 12 - Prospectus

I. Cover page

Role Playing in a Virtual World
Railynn Loire/Emily Berger
1/19/08
MM 333 '08

II. Abstract: Paragraph or two that summarizes the prospectus in brief.

My plans for research in Second Life will be specified in this prospectus. Within this prospectus I will give a brief overview of Second Life, including my proposed community of practice. I will also discuss methods I will use, including the qualitative approaches, the human subjects protection protocols, and time management. I will finally look at potential limitations.


III. Introduction: Research Problem

Second Life is a three-dimensional community created by its Residents. This virtual world lets people live another life. Members create an avatar to represent themselves. This new identity can be customized by not only the gender, but also the height, body shape and size, hair, clothes, accessories and even weapons. The Residents communicate with each other through text and voice. There are many different experiences and activities the Residents can do. They can buy property, create objects, join clubs, start businesses, or even attend classes.

My proposed community of practice is set in a Medieval and Fantasy era. Residents' avatars dress in Medieval attire and role play. An interesting aspect is that they don't have to be human, there are many Fantasy creatures that they can choose from, inluding faerie, elven and drow.

There are many different aspects and activities in this community. But I want to focus more on the different races and how they interact with each other and how they interact with those in other races.

Here are a few definitions the reader may not be familiar with:
An Avatar is a virtual identity of a Resident. This avatar can be customized in many different ways. The resident can even choose to make their avatar a furry, which is an animal.
SL is an acronym for Second Life.
RL is an acronym for Real Life.
Role Play is when people adopt and act out the role of characters, or parts.Their characters have personalities, motivations, and backgrounds different from other characters.


IV. Method

For this study there are a few different Qualitative Approaches I will take. I want to be participant-observer, in which I will participate in the events and dress in Medieval attire. While doing so I will interact with the Residents within the community. But also I will be taking notes while participating. I also am interested in the three standards of Qualitative research, which are observation, appreciation and understanding.

Being anonymous is a huge aspect to the human subjects protection protocol. I will code each name and location that I record during an observation. Also any pictures I take I will edit the names and any features on the avatar that could identify the Resident. For those I observe and interview I will hand them a copy of the Protocol in a note card and receive their permission. I will also have a written consent of the landowner of the community of which I want to observe.

The population I want to study is set in a Medieval and Fantasy era. Guests and members must be dressed to part. There are many races to choose from and many rules of each race to follow. Possibilities are endless, but most populated choices are human, elven, faerie, and drow. There are many activities that take place also. There are jousting, archery and combat tournaments, as well as live concerts and folk tales. A very popular place for people to just "hang out" is the drum circle.

A selective sampling I will do will be focusing on the greeting aspect and how people enter and leave the location. I will also use multiple locations including the drum circle and the grand ballroom. Another good location is the Fortress which is also the shopping center for the avatar's clothing.

The times for events vary. Most scheduled events last 1-3 hours, mostly depending on the participants and what the actual event is. Therefore the events I do go to I would like to go to entirely. Instead of being in for a certain amount of weeks and out for the last amount of weeks, I'd like the SL and RL involvement varied. Be at the event, then take RL data processing.

I will be reviewing literature when I get to the class MM 444. I will do a review on “Field Research: Strategies for a Natural Sociology” by Leonard Schatzman and Anselm L. Strauss which was also our book for the previous class. This book covers qualitative methods and ethnography.


V. Potential limitations

There are many potential limitations to the research. The first one being the reliability of the interviewees and subjects. It is much easier to not show up at a specified time in SL then it is in RL. Also Residents may act differently and portray to you their community in the way that they think you want to see them. Another problem might be getting permissions from the owner of the land.


VI. Discussion

In this research I hope to find out the reasons people role play and how they interact with others. This will show why people keep returning and why this community is a positive and friendly place.

This research will head us toward a better understanding of Second Life and why those continue to be a Resident. Why do people choose Second Life as a medium over other choices, RL and social networking? What new tools and resources can Second Life provide us and offer in the future?

Assignment 10 - Interview

[17:01] You: What is your name in this life?
[17:02] PersonA: PersonA
[17:02] You: How did you become involved with Second Life?
[17:02] PersonA: heard about it from a friend in another Online game called World of Warcraft and decided to check it out
[17:03] You: how long have you been in Second Life?
[17:03] PersonA: little over 1 year
[17:03] You: What are the reasons that you continue to stay in Second Life?
[17:04] PersonA: its fun and i have made alot of friends... also im injured RL and limited in what i can do and this is a nice distraction
[17:04] You: So I also hear you're involved in the community Location, describe this group to me.
[17:06] PersonA: well currently i play a drow.. a dark elf who are usually quite evil in their society and matriarchal... however i follow a drow goddess who is benevolent and kind.....kind of a bad guy turned good thing which is fun to role play.... also i am curently assisting the leader of the drow to get more roleplay/overall activity from the other drow citizens
[17:07] You: What kind of other options are there in this community?
[17:08] PersonA: more or less as long as you are medevil in appearance.. or a fantasy character such as faerie... elf, dragon.. etc... as long as you look and act the part you are welcome there... the only big rules is dont harass and be in character
[17:09] PersonA: i see roleplay as a theatre stage and everything is improv and continuous
[17:09] You: Do you find yourself interested in these things in your RL?
[17:10] PersonA: oh yes i love medevil history and also ancient roman history... so it is nice to take a fantasy race i also enjoyed learning about and incorporating it into a real time period
[17:10] You: Is this what attracted you to Location?
[17:10] PersonA: yes
[17:10] You: How did you learn about this community? and how did you become involved?
[17:12] PersonA: well when i first came to SL i have lived on and helped build another medevil style SIM.. though it is more for housing than roleplay community... and through word of mouth i learned of Location and decided to explore and in the end became a part of it
[17:13] You: What kind of activities and events would you say are normal in Location?
[17:15] PersonA: well they use a battle system that you can wear and when you have the items compatible with that battle systems script you can fight/spar with others who also have it... so there are many who play the role of knight/ranger/ magic users and battle eachother in competitions and tournements
[17:15] PersonA: also there are roleplay activities such as the elven drum circle which is more of a general meeting place
[17:16] PersonA: and there are also some random activites which could range from best clothing (of a certain style... black, formal, swimwear)
[17:16] You: What activities of these do you find yourself most involved with?
[17:17] PersonA: i have done the battling though i am more here for the roleplay aspect... so i have delved more into that area though i do go to CTA (call to arms) tournements here and there
[17:18] You: Do you often find many of the same members participating in these activities?
[17:18] PersonA: yes and also i seem to meet a new person each time i go there... perhaps someone who just found it... or a new long time member... or even a student at a nearby college who is doing a research on the area :)
[17:19] PersonA: but everytime i go there there is at least 1 person whom i allready knew previously
[17:19] PersonA: so it seems to be a place people enjoy returning to
[17:19] You: So do you think you'll continue returning and becoming involved with Location?
[17:20] PersonA: yes i see myself there for a long time
[17:20] You: What sort of similarities do you find within the activities you do in Location and with those in your RL?
[17:22] PersonA: well i suppose the bonfire area is a similarity because i do those with my family and friends during the warmer months... but other than that i dont shoot people with a bow and arrow in real life as i do in Location haha... so it is more of a place to explore the imagination and fantasies than living like you real life
[17:22] You: ok! thank you for your time and help :D

Assignment 8 & 9 - Interview Setup

I have been given permission to conduct a practice interview with PersonA. PersonA is an active member of the community and seems like a good informant. PersonA made an effort to interact with me first seeming to take a great interest in the practice research. The reason I want to interview this person is to get a better idea of the role players in this community and why they are involved.


Questions:

How did you become involved with Second Life?

How long have you been in Second Life?

What are the reasons that you continue to stay in Second Life?

Describe your group to me.

What kind of activities are normal within Location?

What attracted you to the Location?

How did you become involved?

Explain your role in the group.

Do you find similarities within this community and communities you are involved with in RL? If so explain.

Assignment 6 - Mapping

Assignment 2 - Event

For this assignment we were to find and describe an event. I went to a bar where there was a live artist. He sang while accompanying himself on an acoustic guitar. He had a deep low voice and during his songs the crowd would cheer and dance. There was an estimate total of around 40 different members that came and left while I was there. There was also a tip jar for the audience to contribute to his performance. He interacted with the audience also. He could follow messages people wrote and would comment back while still playing.

Assignment 3 - Community of Practice

The community of practice that I will be studying is a Medieval and Fantasy role play group. I chose this group because I find it very interesting. The Middle Ages have always been my favorite era in history. Within this community everyone dresses according to the era and their character they create. This brings in another interesting aspect of the group. No longer restricted to humans, players have an ability to become a Fantasy character. Some choices players choose are elven, faerie, and dwarf. There is a set rules created by the owners for everyone to follow, be it guest or member. They also plan many events for the month, including jousting and archery.

Assignment 1 - 5 Communities

Our first assignment was to find 5 communities of practice within the game Second Life.

Location 1 was the first place I actually ventured off to. I found this nice bar that always seemed to occupy people. At all hours it seemed there was always someone there. The occupants were also extremely friendly. The first time I went to the bar, they were trying to get to know me, by saying "Hello" and asking how I was doing.

I've been to Location 2 quite a few times. It's a community of the Furries, which are avatars of furry animals. Last night there seemed to be quite a few people. As there was today. They seem pretty friendly towards each other. But not many people have said anything to me. I've only seen a few other human avatars while I've been here. I decided to browse through the options they were given of different types of animals they could be. They have a large variety of different animals: cats, huskies, foxes, mythical creatures and many more. And within each selection there are around seven or eight different options of the color you want your avatar to be.

Location 3 is always flocked with people. It seemed to be a friendly gathering place where people just stood around to talk or meet new people. And it wasn't just new members. There seemed to be just as many experienced players greeting people and making conversation.

Location 4 is a paradise for new members. Many new and experienced members would walk and fly around this three-story building of free items. Ranging from skin and hair, to clothes for any possible occasion, there's so much for a new player to choose from. The customers all were friendly asking others where they got a specific item or how to open a box.

Location 5 is a Medieval and Fantasy role playing community. Within this community everyone is contributing, even as a guest you are made to dress the part. This community has a large set of rules to follow. With dress codes and combat rules. You are given free clothes at the front entrance. But there are also stores and merchants around to customize your character for a price. You can be human if you wish or a fantasy creature including Elven, Pixies, and Dwarves.