Thesis Pager

Well, I've written my thesis "Pager". I feel comfortable posting this here since it is just a summary, but I probably won't be doing that for the rest of my thesis.

Pager for Thesis

Title:

Online Gaming and Social Interaction: The Effects of Online Gaming on One's Social Interactions in both Virtual Worlds and Reality

Thesis Question:

What is the socioeconomic impact of online gaming on the people who play these games?

Secondary Question:

How does this impact differ between different types of online gaming?

Current Knowledge:

Papers have been done on the impact of online gaming, both in the positive and negative light, largely surrounding the social implications of gaming and, on occasion, whether or not such online experiences could be used to improve social interaction or aid in education. Research has been done on the ethical implication of online gaming, and online ethics in general. The gap that this paper fills is a more comprehensive examination of the impact that online gaming has on the individual, both socially and economically, and how different games affect people in different ways.

Methodology:

There are several different methods for gathering data on this subject. I will be using the following three:

• Research
• Survey
• Interview

I will be researching the current literature on the subject to get a full comprehension of how one can be affected by online gaming. I will then use my connections in the online gaming world to find research subjects who are willing to take surveys on their experience in online gaming. Finally, through those surveys, I will find research subjects who are willing to take part in interviews to further analyze the status of their online experience.

The surveys and interviews will be conducted with people who play MMORPGs, Social Network games, and those who role-play without a gaming interface through forums, chat rooms and AIM clients.

Possible Implications:

Gathering the data that is available on the subject of online gaming will help compile the information that is currently available on online gaming – many different fields of research have an interest in the subject, so a compilation of this information would be useful for anyone trying to discover more about the phenomena.

Furthermore, surveys and interviews with the online gaming public will help us identify how these players view themselves from a wide variety of perspectives – both in socioeconomic status and in their playing experience.

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Furthermore, here are the timeline time tables I've written up as a rough estimate for the time I need to spend on the thesis for the next 2 months. Please forgive the page runoff.

Timeline - Proposal:

Feb. 3-7: Research	Feb. 8-10: Introduction & Research Question	Feb. 11-16: Literature Review	Feb. 17-19: Methodology & Analysis Plan	Feb. 20-21: Anticipated Findings	Feb. 22-23: Compile Proposal
Finish compiling and reviewing research material on subject	Thoroughly describe the research questions I am answering in 3-5 pages	Finish preliminary review by 13th, submit to drop box, and rewrite by 16th	Write out & Describe Survey/Interview questions	Expected results of the research	Put together all previous parts to create final proposal for submission

Timeline – Post-Proposal:

Feb. 16-20: Request Survey Participation	Feb. 26-28: Survey Distribution	Mar. 1-5: Refine Research Into Summary	Mar. 6-12: Request interviews	Mar. 13-20: Interviews
Prior to proposal completion, request participants for survey from contacts	Send out survey requests after proposal has been approved	Begin writing process – refine research material into workable thesis summary and topic description	Surveys due. Find participants who are willing to take interviews. Begin compiling survey information	Perform interviews. Finish research compilation into topic discussion, utilize survey information in thesis