For this theme I chose the paper Public Displays of Play: Studying Online Games in Physical Settings, written by Nicholas Taylor, Jennifer Jenson, Suzanne de Castell and Barry Dilouya for Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication Volume 19, Issue 4. It is a study to show the relations between players and contexts of play, if participants of public events participate in virtual worlds.
1. Which quantitative method or methods are used in the paper? Which are the benefits and limitations of using these methods?
This is a large-scale study of virtual worlds where they found their participants in public gaming events. There are a total of 382 participants in the study in four different environments; LAN events in England, LAN events in Vancouver and Toronto, Internet cafés in Vancouver and Toronto and Fan culture events in Vancouver and Toronto. All are asked the same question: “Do you participate in virtual worlds?”. They categorized people by sex, age, SES, race, and level of education. The study also provides stories from some users.
2. What did you learn about quantitative methods from reading the paper?
I learned that you easily can get statistics of things, in this case what type of user which participate in virtual worlds, and get relations between questions. But I also learned that you could never know why or how those relations exist. The stories, though, provide more insight from a few people.
3. Which are the main methodological problems of the study? How could the use of the quantitative method or methods have been improved?
The main methodological problems of this study from the point I see it, is what I was writing about above. The study never answers why the results are the way they are. The questions could be more semi-structured to get a bigger scope to understand the survey.
1. Which are the benefits and limitations of using quantitative methods?
With quantitative methods you get the data you need to support your claims, prove hypothesis and show relations. But that’s it, you never gain depth in your knowledge.
2. Which are the benefits and limitations of using qualitative methods?
Qualitative methods provides more depth and you can explain relations etc from a deeper point of view, but it demands good analyses.
1. Which quantitative method or methods are used in the paper? Which are the benefits and limitations of using these methods?
This is a large-scale study of virtual worlds where they found their participants in public gaming events. There are a total of 382 participants in the study in four different environments; LAN events in England, LAN events in Vancouver and Toronto, Internet cafés in Vancouver and Toronto and Fan culture events in Vancouver and Toronto. All are asked the same question: “Do you participate in virtual worlds?”. They categorized people by sex, age, SES, race, and level of education. The study also provides stories from some users.
2. What did you learn about quantitative methods from reading the paper?
I learned that you easily can get statistics of things, in this case what type of user which participate in virtual worlds, and get relations between questions. But I also learned that you could never know why or how those relations exist. The stories, though, provide more insight from a few people.
3. Which are the main methodological problems of the study? How could the use of the quantitative method or methods have been improved?
The main methodological problems of this study from the point I see it, is what I was writing about above. The study never answers why the results are the way they are. The questions could be more semi-structured to get a bigger scope to understand the survey.
1. Which are the benefits and limitations of using quantitative methods?
With quantitative methods you get the data you need to support your claims, prove hypothesis and show relations. But that’s it, you never gain depth in your knowledge.
2. Which are the benefits and limitations of using qualitative methods?
Qualitative methods provides more depth and you can explain relations etc from a deeper point of view, but it demands good analyses.
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