http://theorymethodmediatech.blogspot.se/2015/10/theme4-quantitative-research-after.html?showComment=1444673463633#c8616283811958133899
http://dm2572elvira.blogspot.se/2015/10/theme-4-quantitative-research-post.html?showComment=1444673688711#c7526106623756944210
http://elindm2572.blogspot.se/2015/10/theme-4-reflection.html?showComment=1444673791247#c4008658363831701557
http://lard-have-mercy.blogspot.se/2015/10/post-theme-4-quantitative-research.html?showComment=1444673988344#c397393167690064275
http://dm2572lisa.blogspot.se/2015/10/theme-4-reflection-post.html?showComment=1444674164986#c3894663363021717127
http://platotheplatypus.blogspot.se/2015/10/theme-4-post-reflection.html?showComment=1444674702111#c2055122039576411661
http://dm2572rberggre.blogspot.se/2015/10/theme-4-after.html?showComment=1444675937312
http://vadfinnsegentligen.blogspot.se/2015/10/theme-4-reflection.html#comment-form
http://cscmediatechnologyassignment.blogspot.se/2015/10/theme-4-reflection.html?showComment=1444678057974#c7946908102177649167
http://gamlagreker.blogspot.se/2015/10/theme-4-reflection.html?showComment=1444678211816
Monday, 12 October 2015
Theme 5 in retrospect
If I'm going to be completely honest, neither of the lectures that took place instead of the seminars were particularly revealing to me. This wasn't so much due to the subject matter, which I found at least moderately interesting, but instead due to the lack of quality and relevance of what was discussed. Especially in the first of the two, I found that the matters discussed were very basic indeed, offering no real further discussions or cause for further philosophical debate.
The only thing that really stuck with me out of both lectures was the example of the student and the bear out in the woods, which I thought was an interesting and amusing take on creative problem solving - but the underlying thought, to look beyond your assumptions on the actual problem, was hardly very new. Indeed, I felt that the suggestion that 90% of problems can be solved by defining the problem rather than the solution was incredibly overstated. I did agree that the problem-defining part of looking for a resolution is commonly overlooked, but to state that it would account for the far majority of the entire process was so superficial to my mind that it almost seemed populist.
The only thing that really stuck with me out of both lectures was the example of the student and the bear out in the woods, which I thought was an interesting and amusing take on creative problem solving - but the underlying thought, to look beyond your assumptions on the actual problem, was hardly very new. Indeed, I felt that the suggestion that 90% of problems can be solved by defining the problem rather than the solution was incredibly overstated. I did agree that the problem-defining part of looking for a resolution is commonly overlooked, but to state that it would account for the far majority of the entire process was so superficial to my mind that it almost seemed populist.
Thursday, 8 October 2015
Theme 6: Qualitative and case study research
For the first half of this post I have used the article Videojuegos trasladados al cine: análisis y caracterización de la narrativa audiovisual en ambos medios
by Águeda Delgado Ponce and Francisco Granados García, which was
published in the 10th edition of the Revista Comunicación (impact factor
1.102).
The paper mainly deals with the narrative consequences of the translations of videogames that have been adapted into movies, with a specific focus on the way that both platforms shape the content and the alterations that have had to be made as a consequence of that discrepancy. As such, the main qualitative method is content analysis, which in the case of the videogame texts is combined with a ludologist-/narratologist analysis as well as a methodologist background about the discussion whether those two can be strictly separated.
As with the article for last week's theme, the article doesn't strictly utilize qualitative methods, but instead opts for a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative approach is used on a select number of objects, including the Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy and Resident Evil and their respective movie adaptations. Quantitative methods are then used to justify the choice for these objects as well as elaborate on to which degree they are representative of the videogame adaptations industry as a whole.
I have elected to use the same paper as an example of case study, seeing as it it serves simultaneously as both an example of qualitative studies and case study. These three game-movie couples qualify as case studies, being single instances of the greater concept (in this case, videogame adaptations) being studied. What this specific paper does well is that is has used some of the major titles in videogame adaptation history as it's casus, though diverse enough in terms of genre, audience demographic and both commercial and critical success. This is a particular help in analyzing the data, because it allows for a varied cross-case pattern search.
However, because the entire concept of videogame adaptations is a very young one, the fact that they are a relatively large amount of time apart makes it somewhat problematic to compare them to each other at the same time - seeing as the entire field has seen enormous development in the short timespan in between. As such, the shaping hypotheses and enfolding literature phases are more apparent, with the latter relying specifically on more established traditions such as those surrounding Henry Jenkins, specifically his work on transmediality. As such, it is not possible to automatically assume these three games as being representative for the current or future state of videogame adaptations.
The paper mainly deals with the narrative consequences of the translations of videogames that have been adapted into movies, with a specific focus on the way that both platforms shape the content and the alterations that have had to be made as a consequence of that discrepancy. As such, the main qualitative method is content analysis, which in the case of the videogame texts is combined with a ludologist-/narratologist analysis as well as a methodologist background about the discussion whether those two can be strictly separated.
As with the article for last week's theme, the article doesn't strictly utilize qualitative methods, but instead opts for a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative approach is used on a select number of objects, including the Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy and Resident Evil and their respective movie adaptations. Quantitative methods are then used to justify the choice for these objects as well as elaborate on to which degree they are representative of the videogame adaptations industry as a whole.
I have elected to use the same paper as an example of case study, seeing as it it serves simultaneously as both an example of qualitative studies and case study. These three game-movie couples qualify as case studies, being single instances of the greater concept (in this case, videogame adaptations) being studied. What this specific paper does well is that is has used some of the major titles in videogame adaptation history as it's casus, though diverse enough in terms of genre, audience demographic and both commercial and critical success. This is a particular help in analyzing the data, because it allows for a varied cross-case pattern search.
However, because the entire concept of videogame adaptations is a very young one, the fact that they are a relatively large amount of time apart makes it somewhat problematic to compare them to each other at the same time - seeing as the entire field has seen enormous development in the short timespan in between. As such, the shaping hypotheses and enfolding literature phases are more apparent, with the latter relying specifically on more established traditions such as those surrounding Henry Jenkins, specifically his work on transmediality. As such, it is not possible to automatically assume these three games as being representative for the current or future state of videogame adaptations.
Monday, 5 October 2015
Theme 4 in retrospect
The fourth theme, on quantative methods, led to some interesting discussions in the seminar, though admittedly not entirely on the supposed advantages of said methods above their qualitative counterparts. On my own part, I have mainy utilized the latter in my bachelor's researches, this decision being largely made from the conviction that for the area of content analysis if by far the most appropriate. This is caused mainly by the fact that such research - into a.o. film, tv series or videogames - featured only a very limited number of research objects, and therefore required a more detailed and less systematic approach. Quantative research, then, would play a large part in the reception analysis part of the same researches, adding a larger scope to put the established into a broader context, as well as shed light on the limitations of it.
Within my group, this was a consensus that was quickly agreed on, with all of us having previously used a combination of both in our academic work. The debate then turned to the subject of which of the two should have the major role in which kind of research, with the again near-immediate consensus being that quantative research worked well primarily in topics that required large-scale respondents and factual data, whereas qualitative researched was more appropriate for smaller scale research where motivations and reasoned arguments were more dominant.
Within my group, this was a consensus that was quickly agreed on, with all of us having previously used a combination of both in our academic work. The debate then turned to the subject of which of the two should have the major role in which kind of research, with the again near-immediate consensus being that quantative research worked well primarily in topics that required large-scale respondents and factual data, whereas qualitative researched was more appropriate for smaller scale research where motivations and reasoned arguments were more dominant.
Theme 3 comments
http://dm2572elvira.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-3-research-and-theory-post-seminar.html?showComment=1444069644805#c5783908007744037310
http://elindm2572.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-3-reflection.html?showComment=1444069855548#c5799226388471759612
http://dm2572lisa.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-3-refection-post.html?showComment=1444070038450#c7182142850362466012
http://lard-have-mercy.blogspot.se/2015/09/post-theme-3-research-and-theory.html?showComment=1444070194603#c91134866246990926
http://platotheplatypus.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-3-post-reflection.html?showComment=1444074482324#c1452440624724868410
http://dm2572rberggre.blogspot.se/2015/09/this-theme-was-about-understanding.html?showComment=1444074608323#c454512925792861168
http://vadfinnsegentligen.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-3-reflection.html?showComment=1444074729242#c5533958895652802826
http://bjornsblogggg.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-3-post-reflection.html?showComment=1444075025927#c8277336513989637278
http://theorymethodmediatech.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme3-research-and-theory-after.html?showComment=1444075150110#c7543102958012628959
http://cscmediatechnologyassignment.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-3-reflection.html?showComment=1444075387995#c6136133909050098421
http://elindm2572.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-3-reflection.html?showComment=1444069855548#c5799226388471759612
http://dm2572lisa.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-3-refection-post.html?showComment=1444070038450#c7182142850362466012
http://lard-have-mercy.blogspot.se/2015/09/post-theme-3-research-and-theory.html?showComment=1444070194603#c91134866246990926
http://platotheplatypus.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-3-post-reflection.html?showComment=1444074482324#c1452440624724868410
http://dm2572rberggre.blogspot.se/2015/09/this-theme-was-about-understanding.html?showComment=1444074608323#c454512925792861168
http://vadfinnsegentligen.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-3-reflection.html?showComment=1444074729242#c5533958895652802826
http://bjornsblogggg.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-3-post-reflection.html?showComment=1444075025927#c8277336513989637278
http://theorymethodmediatech.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme3-research-and-theory-after.html?showComment=1444075150110#c7543102958012628959
http://cscmediatechnologyassignment.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-3-reflection.html?showComment=1444075387995#c6136133909050098421
Friday, 2 October 2015
Theme 5: design research
Media technologies can be reviewed depending on multiple factors. The most obvious one would be the perceived goal of said technology, and the degree to which it manages to achieve these goals. In extension to this, this level of achievement can be compared to alternative (technological and/or manual) means of achieving the same goal, taking into account relevant factors such as cost, social and cultural context, future durability and the like.
Third, perhaps somewhat less straightforward, is the serendipitous value of a technology, i.e. what other goals might also be achieved. One major example is the mobile phone, which initially existed primarily as a way of making phone calls and sending text messages, but has since evolved to become a near-ubiquitous device for anything ranging from fitness to music listening and from navigation to journalism.
The building of prototypes can be a major help in discovering this kind of hidden potential. The Oculus Rift, and similar virtual reality devices, were initially envisioned to be videogame devices in mainstream media, only to prove themself similarly useful for scientific research, military training and operations and medical applications.
The main goal of a prototype, however, remains serving as a proof of concept; being a tangible evidence that one or multiple of the perceived goals can actually be achieved within the perimeters considered necessary for success, including (but not limited to) cost, comfort and durability. Characteristically, however, such prototypes are limited to the bare technical necessities, meaning that matter such as aesthetic design and consumer appeal can not always be sufficiently tested. This can be rather problematic, seeing as these are often important questions to be answered in order to estimate long-term potential, and as such, justify financial and scientific investments. The design research, then, should fill this foid and clearly shed light on such prototype limitations, as well as attempt to articulate the possiblities and limitations through theoretical reasoning.
Third, perhaps somewhat less straightforward, is the serendipitous value of a technology, i.e. what other goals might also be achieved. One major example is the mobile phone, which initially existed primarily as a way of making phone calls and sending text messages, but has since evolved to become a near-ubiquitous device for anything ranging from fitness to music listening and from navigation to journalism.
The building of prototypes can be a major help in discovering this kind of hidden potential. The Oculus Rift, and similar virtual reality devices, were initially envisioned to be videogame devices in mainstream media, only to prove themself similarly useful for scientific research, military training and operations and medical applications.
The main goal of a prototype, however, remains serving as a proof of concept; being a tangible evidence that one or multiple of the perceived goals can actually be achieved within the perimeters considered necessary for success, including (but not limited to) cost, comfort and durability. Characteristically, however, such prototypes are limited to the bare technical necessities, meaning that matter such as aesthetic design and consumer appeal can not always be sufficiently tested. This can be rather problematic, seeing as these are often important questions to be answered in order to estimate long-term potential, and as such, justify financial and scientific investments. The design research, then, should fill this foid and clearly shed light on such prototype limitations, as well as attempt to articulate the possiblities and limitations through theoretical reasoning.
Theme 5: design research (p2)
The empirical data in both papers consists of the data collected during the observations of the childrens' actions while using the prototype; and participant interviews, analysis of online media such as forums and blogs and what is called 'state of the art analysis', respectively.
Its a somewhat interpretative question whether design work could be considered knowledge distribution, because it is inherently related to the question of what exactly constitutes knowledge. For my part, I would argue that it can be considered as such, primarily because the creators of the design put forward some of their ideas in their work, which could then in turn make the research lead to a further degree of development and thus 'contributing' to the knowledge.
Within the context of a research, design to my mind seems to be more formalized, having relatively specific goals to obtain in order to elude corresponding specific reactions from the subjects. It is then less 'open-ended', if you will, i.e. less involved with the general experience and more with a specific isolated part of that.
Research in tech domains may or may not be replicable, depending on whether aspects such as historicity, skills of the designers, available tools - or anything dependent thereon - are relevant variables within the context of the research.
Lastly, compared to other kinds of research, design research is less focused on contributing to knowledge in general, and more about adapting a specific kind of product or research to serve the needs or demands at that specific point at time. It is therefore less timeless and unchanging, but at the same time more related to the at that moment current everyday society.
Its a somewhat interpretative question whether design work could be considered knowledge distribution, because it is inherently related to the question of what exactly constitutes knowledge. For my part, I would argue that it can be considered as such, primarily because the creators of the design put forward some of their ideas in their work, which could then in turn make the research lead to a further degree of development and thus 'contributing' to the knowledge.
Within the context of a research, design to my mind seems to be more formalized, having relatively specific goals to obtain in order to elude corresponding specific reactions from the subjects. It is then less 'open-ended', if you will, i.e. less involved with the general experience and more with a specific isolated part of that.
Research in tech domains may or may not be replicable, depending on whether aspects such as historicity, skills of the designers, available tools - or anything dependent thereon - are relevant variables within the context of the research.
Lastly, compared to other kinds of research, design research is less focused on contributing to knowledge in general, and more about adapting a specific kind of product or research to serve the needs or demands at that specific point at time. It is therefore less timeless and unchanging, but at the same time more related to the at that moment current everyday society.