Connected Play: Making Visible Trajectories of Participation

• In Event: Pathways, Trajectories, Ecologies, Oh My! Bridging Theories and Methods for Studying Youth Learning Lives

Abstract

Objective: In our paper, we outline a multimodal approach to data collection and analyses that enabled us to make visible patterns and individual trajectories of participation in a virtual world. We present different lenses—participation frequencies, changing practices, and spaces of activities—to illustrate different approaches to analyzing log file data both quantitatively and qualitatively in combination with other data sources.

Background: Different methodologies and data sources have been used to reveal trajectories of participation online, ranging from in-depth observations and interviews to collection of log files and large-scale surveys, alongside participation in virtual and local spaces by researchers themselves (Boellstorff, 2008; Nardi, 2010; Taylor, 2008). Some researchers have begun to acknowledge that dividing lines between quantitative and qualitative methodologies create a false dichotomy. Rather, different analyses contribute to our understanding of what, when, and why players engage in online environments (Williams, Yee, & Caplan, 2004). Furthermore, the complexity of virtual worlds indicates that not any one data source but the triangulation of many may do better justice in understanding player practices, purposes, and psychology (Leander, 2008).

Methods, Participants, and Data: We collected log files of participation in the virtual world of Whyville—every word of chat plus click-level data, of 681 consenting participants aged 10-13 years over six months—in addition to data from field notes, videos, and surveys from after-school programs where youth played in Whyville. We began with a traditional approach aggregating log file data across activities and players. Then we developed case studies of six tween players by systematically sampling log files in addition to observations and post-study interviews from the after-school program. Following individuals provided us with in-depth views of how they became players in Whyville and revealed unexpected facets and disparities of their participation not captured otherwise. Finally, we chose a secret gaming practice, called teleporting, and examined how it was learned across club members in multiple social settings, both local and virtual.

Findings: Our approach moved beyond quantitative summaries of pages viewed or qualitative ethnographic observations of selected activities, allowing us to understand participants’ learning across multiple spaces and practices. Our analyses clearly demonstrated that a focus solely on the after-school club space or on any single data source would have limited our understanding of the multimodal diffusion of the practice of teleporting or individual players’ engagement in very different practices in Whyville. For instance, we documented gender differences in flirting: boys publically advertised flirting during the club while girls engaged in the practice more privately on Whyville. Various types of scamming behaviors, science game play, and issues of race in avatar choice were also revealed, illuminating many aspects of players’ participation in ways that were hidden to us before.

Discussion: In the end, we advocate considering multiple data sources and analyses that cross time and space, disrupting traditional divisions of “analytics” versus “ethnography.” This will allow researchers to account for individual, group, and site-wide phenomena. As we demonstrate in this paper, there is more than one way to look at log files.

Authors

• Yasmin B. Kafai, University of Pennsylvania

• Deborah A. Fields, Utah State University