Simulated gaming environment for ethnography research

Abstract

Ethnography is now a widely used research method in information systems and gaming. It is one of the most in-depth research methods capturing people's feeling, behavior and opinion by the researcher getting immersed in the study. The main aspect of the research method is gathering the data by being in the "field", gaining a deep insight by participating and observing the culture being studied. This paper discusses the potential of designing a study where the "field" would be a simulated environment created specifically for gaming research. Creating a Simulated Gaming Environment (SGE) hopes to open a wider range of possibilities in using ethnographic research method for gaming research. Copyright © 2011 GSTF & CGAT.