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View Full Version : Survey for Academic RPG Paper: Please Fill Out!



Djinn_in_Tonic
2010-05-05, 04:40 PM
So here's the deal: my mom is an English professor trying to write an academic paper on RPGs and their effect on the writing quality and general literacy of individuals. We're looking for as many people who have played RPGs (P&P, forum-based, play-by-post, free-form, and so worth) to take the survey.

It takes under 5 minutes, and would really help us make this a good paper. It's a field that's currently very unexplored, and we'd like to get some academic interest in it.

The survey can be found here. (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YZLGR7M)

Thanks for your time!

ErrantX
2010-05-05, 05:55 PM
My pleasure? :smallbiggrin:

-X

EnnPeeCee
2010-05-05, 06:16 PM
Viola, it is done.

Djinn_in_Tonic
2010-05-05, 06:17 PM
Thank you both very much!

Zemro
2010-05-05, 06:17 PM
Aand done! Hopefully you get suitable amount of responses.

AlterForm
2010-05-05, 06:18 PM
I contributed to Science! (Well, okay, Social Science, but it's still Science...)

Eldonauran
2010-05-05, 06:25 PM
Survey complete!

Hope it helps!

CrypticOcean
2010-05-05, 06:30 PM
Survey taken. It was a pleasure to aid you and your mother.

Binks
2010-05-05, 06:37 PM
For Science! :smalltongue:. Complete, hope you get a lot of responses.

DragoonWraith
2010-05-05, 06:38 PM
Done! Neat little survey, I hadn't thought about that before. I liked.

Archpaladin Zousha
2010-05-05, 06:38 PM
Done! Pleasure to be of service.

Scoot
2010-05-05, 06:52 PM
Finished.

This should prove to be an interesting paper.

Djinn_in_Tonic
2010-05-05, 06:58 PM
Thank you all so much!


This should prove to be an interesting paper.

When she finishes it up, I'll post a link on the forums. Could be a while though. :smallbiggrin:

Raistlin1040
2010-05-05, 07:35 PM
It is complete, sir.

It's a very interesting topic. Looking back, my writing skill has increased absurdly when contrasted with what I was doing when I showed up here 4 years ago.

Bigbrother87
2010-05-05, 08:42 PM
Done! And an interesting fact is that the majority of my real life gaming group also participates in National Novel Writers Month, and 3/4ths of us made it to the 50,000 word novel in a month goal.

Of course, we weren't GAMING during that month while we were writing...But still. ;)

Toric
2010-05-05, 08:47 PM
I've thought about how roleplaying improves communicative skills for some time, but for me it's been better for practicing improvisational, everyday speech than for improving formal writing ability.

It's funny, tabletop roleplaying is one of the few mediums in which you get to specifically specialize in either worldbuilding and plotmaking or focused, immersive characterization. It also provides great feedback on whether your delivery is any good. You can tell easily whether a post you've put a lot of work into is recieved as lead or gold.

shadow_archmagi
2010-05-05, 08:56 PM
12. Are you less likely to write on your own, without the game framework?


YES

NO


This could use some clarification

Oh wait no I"m just an idiot. I could've sworn it said



12. Are you more likely to write on your own, OR without the game framework?


YES

NO

Swordgleam
2010-05-05, 09:17 PM
I think there's some questions or options missing that might lead this survey to draw incorrect conclusions. Yes, I roleplay on PbP and IM. Yes, my writing has improved since I started. But do I roleplay because I'm a good writer who loves writing, or am I a good writer who loves writing because I roleplay? I think this survey will do a good job of finding correlation, but not necessarily causation.

That said, I'll be interested to see the results.

DragoonWraith
2010-05-05, 09:31 PM
It would be impossible to find causation through a survey. Causation requires an experiment with control groups, which this isn't and could never be. Correlation is all they're going for (and for a lot of social sciences, the best they can ever really hope for, unfortunately). However, despite the somewhat heavy-handed (albeit justifiably so) repetition of "correlation != causation", correlation is still meaningful and worth knowing, even if it does not specifically indicate causation.

Amphetryon
2010-05-05, 09:36 PM
I started playing RPGs when I was 8. If my writing hadn't improved by now, it would indicate a real problem with my cognitive abilities.

Il_Vec
2010-05-05, 09:40 PM
Mission... Complete!

Yorrin
2010-05-05, 10:07 PM
As a social scientist myself I feel morally obligated to complete surveys whenever I see them. That being said, this was rather enjoyable to fill out. Of course I see all sort of room for false conclusions, but that's inherent in every survey.

As for the correlation != causation issue, DragoonWraith has the right of it. Finding a covariate is the best this can do, but it's certainly worth doing. An experimental design for this would likely involve a longitudinal study- which I can tell you from personal experience is a nightmare. But finding a positive correlation between RPG forum usage and writing proficiency would be a boon for the RPG world within academia.

Also- I'd be interested to see what coding scheme is used for the final response-box. Not that that sort of thing usually gets reported, but it would be interesting nonetheless.

Math_Mage
2010-05-05, 10:17 PM
It would be impossible to find causation through a survey. Causation requires an experiment with control groups, which this isn't and could never be. Correlation is all they're going for (and for a lot of social sciences, the best they can ever really hope for, unfortunately). However, despite the somewhat heavy-handed (albeit justifiably so) repetition of "correlation != causation", correlation is still meaningful and worth knowing, even if it does not specifically indicate causation.

"Correlation doesn't imply causation, but it does waggle its eyebrows suggestively and gesture furtively while mouthing 'look over there'."* (http://xkcd.com/552/)

While my writing has enjoyed some improvement due to online PbP, I have to wonder about the opportunity cost.

Swordgleam
2010-05-05, 10:22 PM
While my writing has enjoyed some improvement due to online PbP, I have to wonder about the opportunity cost.

I don't! PbP got me into web design (I used to build sites on AvidGamers), web design got me into programming, programming got me into a CS degree, and now I have a job. Never regret doing anything you love; no passion is ever wasted.

Melayl
2010-05-05, 10:29 PM
Done, with pleasure.

Cuaqchi
2010-05-05, 10:33 PM
Done... Though I may end up scewing the results because of other sources of improvement in the time that I have been gaming online.

Divide by Zero
2010-05-05, 10:34 PM
This is relevant to my interests.

Zeta Kai
2010-05-05, 10:38 PM
I took it, but only because it's you, DiT. :smallwink:

PairO'Dice Lost
2010-05-05, 10:49 PM
Mission complete.

Temotei
2010-05-05, 11:30 PM
That was interesting. :smallcool:

Occasional Sage
2010-05-06, 12:03 AM
Alas that I don't game online. Wish I could help!

I will certainly be watching for the paper... one of these days. I know how long academic papers can take.

Does your mom game, or are you the inspiration for the paper, or what? I'm interested in the metas of the paper especially, RPGs tend to encourage vitriol but not rigor.

Another_Poet
2010-05-06, 12:33 AM
Accomplished.

Gamgee
2010-05-06, 12:41 AM
When you get your thesis and ideas in order let me know what comes about of it. Full report if possible? Heh.

Protecar
2010-05-07, 12:38 AM
Finito! Wish her luck for me, I look forward to see how the paper turns out. :smallsmile:

Noedig
2010-05-07, 01:50 AM
Completed. Should be cool to have the paper up.

Kol Korran
2010-05-07, 02:39 AM
i join the crowd of participants in the survey. hope this helps. and there was no subconcious message there. no message at all. (goes to send large sums of money to an unknown address) :smallwink: