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Hello Fellow Gamers,

For those of you have not yet met me, My name is Matthew Lust and I am not only a gamer but also a sociologist. It is as a sociologist that I am posting this message. I am posting here to recruit participants in my newest research project. I have had the pleasure of speaking with many gamers so far and I'm hoping to expand my interview pool. Below is a letter which serves as both an introduction to the project and a letter of informed consent. If I have not met you in person and handed a print out sheet to you in person, please print this page out as it serves as your implicit consent for your interview participation in my research.

Though I may meet some of you at various cons and ask some of you in person to participate, if you are willing to participate in this study feel free to contact me via personal message on this forum or the privateer press main forums under the username professor lust. You can also email me at matthew.lust@sdstate.edu, via twitter @drlust, via facebook.com/drlust, or via skype username professor nomos.

Dear Miniature War gamer:

I, Matthew Lust, am conducting a research project tentatively entitled “The Hobby of Miniature War-gaming.” The purpose of this research will be to use Ethnographic Methods, including Interviews and Participant Observation, to conduct a Grounded theory analysis of data provided by participants. This research is intended to further our the understanding of the social practices we use in our everyday lives through the lens of the wargaming hobby. The general topics that I will be covering include: How we make sense of the right and wrong ways to play the game, How we interact with others who play the game, How we integrate this hobby with the rest of our lives, How do we negotiate our gamer identities across a number of venues.

You as a miniature war-gamer are invited to participate in the study by participating in an interview. I realize that your time is valuable and have attempted to keep the requested information as brief and concise as possible. It will take you approximately 30-45 minutes of your time but could take more than an hour. Your participation in this project is voluntary. You may withdraw from the study at any time without consequence.

There are no known risks to you for participating in this study. There are no direct benefits for participation in this study. Your responses are strictly confidential. When the data and analysis are presented, you will not be linked to the data by your name, title or any other identifying item.
To further protect confidentiality your consent for your participation is implied by the completion of an interview. Please keep this letter for your information. If you have any questions, now or later, you may contact us at the number below. Thank you very much for your time and assistance. If you have any questions regarding your rights as a research participant in this study, you may contact the SDSU Research Compliance Coordinator at 605-688-6975, SDSU.IRB@sdstate.edu.

Sincerely,
Matthew Lust
Sociology Department
SDSU
Scobey Hall (SSB) 224
Box: 504
Brookings, SD 57007
matthew.lust@sdstate.edu
This project has been approved by the SDSU Institutional Review Board, Approval #: IRB-1403003-EXM
Confidentiality Notice
There is no intent to collect information about participants that will allow them to be identified. As such, the only purpose for identifying individual data sources in any research notes would be for contact purposes in case of a follow-up interview for those I meet at conventions. Once this need has passed, there is no need to associate names with interviews. Interviews will be identified with a number. In a grounded theory analysis short quotes from the data (e.g., an interview or field notes) may be used to illustrate a concept. Individuals or any type of identifying information are never connected to quotes. As with all types of research, all field notes and interview transcripts will be kept under lock and key, accessible only to the researcher.

I'm sorry Matt Lust, but what are your GAMING credentials

I'm kidding. I already know some of those.

Question : Are you only reaching out to WM community at this point?

Shooting you a PM now.

 malfred wrote:
I'm sorry Matt Lust, but what are your GAMING credentials

I'm kidding. I already know some of those.

Question : Are you only reaching out to WM community at this point?

Not intending to focus exclusively on WM but due to my heavy involvement with WM its an easier community for me to access.

I'm more than willing to interview people who play other games. Just for purposes of this research, I'd prefer if they had at least some knowledge of WM/H as a matter of comparison.

PMing. As an economist interested in a similar thing, I can't refuse!

I got my M.A. using similar methods, albeit for an entirely different project. I'm game.

Sounds interesting! PMing you when I get the chance to respond more formally.

Hello all.

I've failed these past two weeks to stay in close contact with those who pm'd me.

Life's been conspiring against my focus on this project.

I'm going to message those who have already messaged me to gauge their ongoing willingness to participate.

My apologies to those whom I have been ignoring.