Blog 3

What is the refined research question that you are setting out to answer? (Please be specific in your research topic)

To what extent does sub-cultural identities associates with real life identity?

How does this develop themes and debates explored within the lectures of this module? (Please put down the revised short introduction to your project based on the one in blog 2. Remember that the introduction should include the purpose of your research project, significance and key concept(s) that may be useful for your analysis.)

The aim of my research is to examine the formation of imagined identities, both communal and self-identity, through the participation of the subculture of the imagined community of offline role-playing game of Dungeons and Dragons and how much they identify with the in-game persona they have created, if it is an entirely different person that they are able to freely control or a personification of what they believe or wish themselves to be. Overall, my research develops themes of subcultural identity, participation and imagined communities explored within the lectures.

What critical methodologies are you going to use? How are you going to produce the evidence you’ll need to answer your research question?

1) In-depth informal interview with 7 players of Dungeons and Dragons.

2) Textual analysis of related articles.

References

1. ‘Live in Your World, Play in Ours’: The Spaces of Video Game Identity, Sheila C. Murphy: http://vcu.sagepub.com/content/3/2/223.short
2. Identity in massively multiplayer online games: a qualitative pilot study, http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1497406
3. Fine, G. A. (1983). Shared fantasy: Role-playing games as social worlds. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
4. A case of identity: Role playing, social media and BBC Sherlock; http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/intellect/jfs/2013/00000001/00000002/art00002
5. Personality and Fantasy Game Character Preferences; http://ica.sagepub.com/content/27/1/37.short
6. Developing the Metafunctional Framework for Analysing Multimodal Hypertextual Identity Construction, Arianna Maiorani, http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-0-230-24534-1_13#page-1
7. Linser, R., Ip, A., Rosser, E. & Leigh, E. (2008). On-line Games, Simulations & Role-plays as Learning Environments: Boundary and Role Characteristics. In C. Bonk, M. Lee & T. Reynolds (Eds.), Proceedings of E-Learn: World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2008 (pp. 1757-1765). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved March 11, 2016 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/29895.

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What physical resources (e.g. camera) will this primary research require?

Yes (Please specify): Camera, Voice Recorder, Paper/Note book and Pen

Where and when exactly is this primary research going to take place?

Place(s):	Pacific Coffee Emporium; Shop 6, G/F, 9 Kingston Street, Fashion Walk, Causeway Bay.	Baptist Oi Kwan social Service 3/F, 36 Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.
Date and Time:	Every Saturday from Feb to April 7 pm to 10 pm	Every Friday when available 7 pm to 9 pm

Which key persons (e.g. family members, trustworthy friends, business owners, etc.) have agreed to help and support you in carrying out this research?

Yes (Please provide name and contact):

Harina Rochelle Marie Aristan; 5242 5956

Sikdar Sharu; 9285 5081

Self-assessment of risk:

Is this research exercise likely to expose you to any health and safety risks or any risk to property? (If the answer is yes, please specify the risks)

Yes: exposure to theft by using a camera and voice recorder in a public place

Name: Harina Rachel Anne Aristan

HKU SPACE Student Number: 10586450