03-09-2004 16:57
A person who is fielding research on the social impact of MMORPG play on different populations, in particular people who are confined to wheelchairs, has asked me to post the following request for Second Life residents who would like to participate in her research.

Disclosure: the researcher is not sharing any information she collects with us, nor is Linden Lab being compensated for helping her out.


Hello,

I am conducting research at the University of Surrey in the UK into the social benefits of participating in online massively multiplayer games for different populations, including people with disabilities. In order to inform my research, I was hoping to speak with some players in wheelchairs who have experience - no matter how little - of MMRPGs, so I may gain an insight into the positives and negatives of online activities and online worlds as you see them.

Any chat is completely anonymous and totally at your discretion. It will take 20 minutes over an ICQ or a messenger program and will involve questions about your experiences as a person who plays the games in a wheelchair, your thoughts on the uniqueness of the medium, whether you see the environment as an access-all-abilities space and your views on role play. The results of this aspect of the work will be expanded into a wider questionnaire exploring issues of disclosure and personal development. If you've got the inclination, I would love to hear from you. Please contact me at [email]psm1ak@surrey.ac.uk[/email]. Thanks very much!

Aleks Krotoski
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