Numerous researchers have written about the social dynamics of player communities in multiplayer online games. Following a systematic review of refereed empirical research publications from 2000-2010, this article synthesizes the key methods and concepts researchers have used to study and characterize player communities, as well as the aspects and operationalizations they have concentrated on. The analysis shows that qualitative approaches have been more popular than quantitative. The concepts used to characterize player communities were often not clearly defined or overlapped in meaning. Yet they revealed a prevalence of micro (groups or teams), meso (guilds or organizations) and macro (communities and networks) perspectives. Eighteen different aspects and operationalizations of player communities were identified. Six of these were clearly most popular, i.e. social structuring, rationale, culture & social norms, used ICTs, number of members and time of existence. The article concludes with several perspectives and suggestions for future research.
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The social dynamics of player communities in online games have been the subject of much research during the last decade. Following a systematic review of empirical research publications from 2000–2010, this article synthesizes the key methods and concepts researchers have used to study and characterize player communities. It also synthesizes the key aspects and operationalizations researchers have concentrated on. The analysis shows that qualitative approaches have been more common than quantitative ones. The concepts used to characterize player communities were often not clearly defined or overlapped in meaning. Yet they revealed a prevalence of micro (groups or teams), meso (guilds or organizations) and macro (communities and networks) perspectives. About 22 different aspects and operationalizations of player communities were identified. Six were most common, i.e. culture and social norms, social structuring, rationale, number of members, used information and communication technologies and time of existence. The article concludes with several suggestions for future research.
Over the past few decades, education systems, especially in higher education, have been redefined. Such reforms inevitably require reconsideration of operational notions and definitions of quality, along with a number of related concepts. This reconsideration aligns with the core of higher education reforms: improving efficacy and compatibility with emerging social demands while adapting to competitiveness and accountability trends. As primary players in the teaching and learning process, online tutors have a protagonistic role and, therefore, must be equipped with a suitable set of competencies and attributes in addition to content knowledge. This quantitative research aims to analyze the perceptions of 250 online tutors working in European higher education institutions, distributed in 5 knowledge areas: Business, Education, Humanities, Sciences and Health. This descriptive and exploratory nonexperimental study reveals the technological and pedagogical skills and competencies that online tutors consider fundamental for effective online teaching and proposes professional development actions to ensure quality online teaching.
(297) In de afgelopen jaren is veel onderzoek gedaan naar hoe werk verandert en wat dat betekent voor mens, organisatie en maatschappij. In periode één van het Breed Platform Arbeid (BPA-I, 1/9/2017-31/8/2019) is bij stakeholders opgehaald wat zij denken dat er op het terrein van werk veranderd zal zijn in 2030. Vervolgens zijn met lectoren en praktijkpartners drie werkateliers en twee conferenties gehouden rondom de opgehaalde thema’s namelijk: 1 (Her)waardering van werk 2) Leven lang ontwikkelen 3) Inclusiviteit. Aan de hand van de geformuleerde onderzoeksagenda zijn gemeenschappelijke onderzoeksprojecten aangevraagd, gehonoreerd en soms al uitgevoerd. Er zijn in de loop van deze periode 33 lectoren van 12 hogescholen en 14 praktijkpartners aangesloten bij het BPA. Aan het eind van BPA-I is helder geworden dat het belangrijk is om in BPA-II (2019 -2021) één thema toe te voegen, namelijk ‘vitaal werk(en)’. Bij de inventarisatie van projecten en uit signalen uit het werkveld bleek dit een doorkruisend thema te zijn. Om tot meer kennisuitwisseling en -deling, sociale innovaties en gezamenlijk praktijkgericht onderzoek te stimuleren, wordt tijdens BPA-II de ‘ontmoeting’ gefaciliteerd tussen lector(at)en en praktijkpartners. We streven naar (minimaal) acht (open) themabijeenkomsten (twee per thema). Ook wordt in BPA-II gewerkt aan een betere aansluiting van het onderwijs. Doelen zijn: 1. Verduurzamen van het BPA (netwerkontwikkeling) via het organiseren van ‘de ontmoeting’ 2. Creëren van themabijeenkomsten rondom de vier thema’s, met werkveld, onderwijs en onderzoek samen, waarbij (praktijk)vragen worden geformuleerd, kennis wordt gedeeld en nieuwe kennis wordt ontwikkeld. 3. Vanuit deze themabijeenkomsten genereren van (nieuwe) initiatieven en onderzoeksprojecten, waarin minimaal drie verschillende lectoraten, diverse praktijkpartners en onderwijspartners participeren 4. Vastleggen, beschikbaar stellen én doorontwikkelen van de opgedane kennis en inzichten, waarbij met praktijkpartners en onderwijs wordt bekeken of dit leidt tot nieuwe inzichten en instrumenten voor de praktijk en tot onderwijsvernieuwing leiden (kennisbasis vastleggen)
Events play an increasingly big role in our society. Whereas events were mainly considered entertainment in the past, the social function of events is becoming more and more apparent, in particular, in the field of social bonding and in creating a feeling of solidarity.During an event, visitors identify with a theme or topic, and interact with each other about it. Thanks to social media, they can continue these interactions online, which leads to a hybrid network of individuals sharing the same interests. Eventually, this may lead to forming new communities, who communicate with each other both online and offline. However, it is not clear yet how exactly these new communities are being created.This PhD research studies the online and offline interaction rituals of various events and online communities. Through interviews and participating observations at events such as Redhead Days and the Elfia fantasy event, processes are mapped out that result in forming communities at and around events.Partner: Tilburg University
Craft your own audience: How can a technology-driven company use online gaming communities, like Minecraft, to reach and engage a young audience? This project creates a context in which reality is simulated, by having students work together for a real client in an international context. In this project we explore innovative ways in which Samsung can engage younger audiences through Minecraft, the world's best-selling game with almost 140 million monthly players (2023). This project is focused on on educating, researching and developing playable prototypes within Minecraft that demonstrate how online gaming communities can be used to connect technology companies with a new generation of users. Societal issueInclusion of different ages around technology literacy and education (21st century skills).Benefit to societyGlobal inclusive community around education and R&D, higher cultural awareness.Collaborative partnersManchester Metropolitan University; Samsung Benelux.
