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The Social Capital of MMOs

GealachGealach Registered User regular
edited January 2010 in MMO Extravaganza
About a year ago, I posted a request for volunteers to complete a survey for my grad school assignment. I completed my research and finished my paper last February and I intended to have it published in a peer-reviewed journal of some sort. Well, between graduating, starting a new job, and hurrying to catch up to my level 80 friends in WoW, I lost all momentum. I realized that if I didn’t self-publish the results I’d never get this information out there.

So, if you’re interested, you can read my graduate research paper here: www.cindygreenan.com/socialcapitalofmmos. There’s also a “TLDR” version if you want to just see a bunch of colorful graphs of the most interesting results.

In the paper, I mention GamerDad and his amazing experience with the MMO community. And I also mention those of you who responded to my post saying that the survey made you feel like a loser - I hope that reading my results will make you feel better.

Thank you to everyone that participated. I received an amazing number of responses and I’m really grateful. I hope you enjoy reading my analysis.

Gealach on

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    Darkchampion3dDarkchampion3d Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I remember filling this out. Interesting to read.

    Darkchampion3d on
    Our country is now taking so steady a course as to show by what road it will pass to destruction, to wit: by consolidation of power first, and then corruption, its necessary consequence --Thomas Jefferson
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    Lucky CynicLucky Cynic Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Thanks for sharing. It is always cool to see how the demographics of gamers, MMO gamers in particular play out.

    Lucky Cynic on
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    815165815165 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I still feel like a loser but your graphs were indeed colourful. :^:

    815165 on
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    Ed321Ed321 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Thanks for posting :p

    Some of those results confirm what I already thought so I'm just going to go ahead and consider them unimpeachable :D

    Ed321 on
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    GungHoGungHo Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I guess this is my chance to make a non sequitir about it being rather sad that you've correctly anticipated that there are people who are so adverse to reading that they won't take the time to read a double-spaced, 99-page paper (i.e. 49 pages of actual text & graphs) about one of their favorite passtimes.

    GungHo on
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    GealachGealach Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Thanks for all of your interest! And lol GungHO. It is sad but true. =) I'm not sure if I would have read the full paper myself if I hadn't written it. It was fascinating to me, and I hope others find it interesting too, but I know how tedious research papers can be to read.

    Gealach on
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    PeregrineFalconPeregrineFalcon Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    You do know that tl;dr has a semicolon in it, right? :P

    this nitpick brought to you by an amphetmine-fueled chimp and Know Your Meme Inc

    PeregrineFalcon on
    Looking for a DX:HR OnLive code for my kid brother.
    Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
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    GealachGealach Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    PeregrineFalcon wrote: »
    You do know that tl;dr has a semicolon in it, right? :P

    this nitpick brought to you by an amphetmine-fueled chimp and Know Your Meme Inc

    fixed ;-)

    Gealach on
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    TofystedethTofystedeth Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Interesting paper, though I ran out of time at work and had stop once it got graph heavy.
    The line about in game funerals reminded me of when the Queen of my flag in Puzzle Pirates died of a heart attack and there was an ocean wide gathering on the docks of one of the main towns remeniscing, then we held a pillage in her honor on a Grand Frigate donated for the cause.

    Tofystedeth on
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    28682868 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    As an APA editor I am glad you shared this. I wish I could edit dissertations like this, which is to say I wish I could edit dissertations that are interesting to read.

    Instead I get proposals about putting educational material in the bathrooms to take advantage of the 15 minutes per day kids spend in the john.

    2868 on
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Penny Arcade Forums› Games and Technology› MMO Extravaganza