scholarly journals Sensuous proximity in research methods with expert teams, media sports, and esports practices

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (64) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Emma Witkowski
Keyword(s):  
Research Methods ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Computer Game ◽  
World Of Warcraft ◽  
Game Studies ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Performance Practices ◽  
Research Guidelines ◽  
Games Studies ◽  
Expert Team

This paper examines epistemological issues in game studies research, specifically exploring qualitative research approaches to networked, expert computer game teams who engage in esports practices. Expert teams deliver their expert practice in part through interembodied sensitivities to sensorial team-based phenomena, which is made across multiple bodies and machines in the process of play. Drawing on fieldwork with World of Warcraft Arena tournament esports teams and research methods orientations from games studies, sensuous ethnography, and sports studies, a position of sensuous proximity in games research is explored and developed as a suite of research guidelines for engaging with esports teams high performance practices. I suggest a research approach that involves differing lenses and stances in the study of embodied team play, and varying scales of sensuous proximity to the layers of expert team practices that augmens the notion of playing research in game studies.

scholarly journals Intermediality between Games and Fiction: The “Ludology vs. Narratology” Debate in Computer Game Studies: A Response to Gonzalo Frasca

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michalis Kokonis
Keyword(s):  
Computer Games ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Computer Game ◽  
Game Studies ◽  
Hybrid Nature ◽  
Games Studies ◽  
Semiotic Perspective ◽  
Narrative Forms ◽  
Electronic Games

Abstract In the last ten or fourteen years there has been a debate among the so called ludologists and narratologists in Computer Games Studies as to what is the best methodological approach for the academic study of electronic games. The aim of this paper is to propose a way out of the dilemma, suggesting that both ludology and narratology can be helpful methodologically. However, there is need for a wider theoretical perspective, that of semiotics, in which both approaches can be operative. The semiotic perspective proposed allows research in the field to focus on the similarities between games and traditional narrative forms (since they share narrativity to a greater or lesser extent) as well as on their difference (they have different degrees of interaction); it will facilitate communication among theorists if we want to understand each other when talking about games and stories, and it will lead to a better understanding of the hybrid nature of the medium of game. In this sense the present paper aims to complement Gonzalo Frasca’s reconciliatory attempt made a few years back and expand on his proposal.

The Game Thing: Ludology and other Theory Games

2004 ◽  
Vol 110 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Crogan
Keyword(s):  
Short Story ◽  
Computer Games ◽  
Computer Game ◽  
Academic Competence ◽  
Game Studies ◽  
Current State ◽  
Games Studies ◽  
Productive Potential ◽  
Computer Culture

The current state of computer games studies is critically examined in this paper by means of an analysis of the recently released computer game, The Thing. Game studies is an emerging area of humanities scholarship, an emergence that exhibits characteristically ambivalent processes of defining its own object and staking out its own field of expertise from other areas of academic competence. A principal dynamic of these processes concerns the opposition between ‘ludological’ and narratological theorisations of the computer game. This opposition is examined for both its limitations and its productive potential by means of consideration of The Thing game and its relation to John Carpenter's cinematic iteration of the original short story from which it is adapted. This consideration leads away from the question of the specificity of the computer game object to some concluding speculations about the relation of contemporary computer games to the broader computer culture within which games are taking on an increasingly significant profile.

scholarly journals Mapping Persona and Games

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Christopher Moore
Keyword(s):  
Media Studies ◽  
Textual Analysis ◽  
Computer Game ◽  
Tipping Point ◽  
Game Studies ◽  
Games Studies

For those new to games studies, the most important primer is the recognition that, as a field of research, it is at its most revealing when in conversation with perspectives from other fields and domains of inquiry. Espen Aarseth (2001) announced that the first issue of Game Studies, the international journal of computer game research, marked the commencement of computer game studies. Aarseth's editorial launched the trajectory for the following two decades of game research, obscuring much of the previous work examining digital and analogue games that had contributed to the tipping point at which the fields' coalescence could become a reality. Emerging from media studies, sociology, and a particular tradition of textual analysis in cinema and literature studies, games studies has since had a reputation for being the latest kid on the block. Like persona studies, game studies features key moments in which intersections between it and other fields and their theoretical and analytical perspectives prove enlightening, enriching, and even entertaining.

scholarly journals Pressure, Performance and Prestige: Dilemmas for Contemporary Professionals

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (79) ◽  
pp. 539-552
Author(s):  
Ana Heloisa Costa Lemos ◽  
Leila Sharon Nasajon Gottlieb ◽  
Alessandra de Sá Mello da Costa
Keyword(s):  
Professional Growth ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Excessive Pressure ◽  
Performance Practices ◽  
Personal Lives ◽  
Work Intensification ◽  
Working Day ◽  
Mental Nature

Abstract Recent changes in the world of work have resulted in a greater level of work intensification. Whilst there have been gains in productivity, workers have been subject to increasing demands of both a physical and mental nature, which tend to have a negative impact on their well-being. Our interest in understanding this phenomenon has led to a qualitative study that seeks to analyse the experiences of professional graduates working in organizations that use high-performance practices, which tend to generate work intensification. The respondents revealed both the negative implications of work intensification, such as an increase in the working day, excessive pressure and sacrifices in their personal lives, as well as other aspects considered positive, such as learning, professional growth, autonomy and financial gains. These latter aspects deserve attention, since they can help us understand what leads qualified workers to accept intensified working practices.

scholarly journals The Popularity of Faerlina US - World of Warcraft Classic Server: Game Study Using Qualitative Research Methods on the World of Warcraft Classic Game Server

MEDIASI ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-27
Author(s):  
Deddy Stevano H. Tobing
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
Qualitative Research Methods ◽  
World Of Warcraft ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Virtual Currency ◽  
The World ◽  
Role Playing Game ◽  
Depth Interviews

This research discusses the popularity of Faerlina US which is one of the game server of the game World of Warcraft Classic (WoW Classic), a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) game version which is one of the World of Warcraft game version released on 26 August 2019. This study uses several qualitative research methods, namely participatory observation, in-depth interviews, and studies of previous studies. The results of this study indicate that the popularity of Faerlina US tends to be driven by the popularity of twitch.tv streamers who play on these servers. This research also shows that Faerlina has also become popular because it is interesting to be a place to conduct economic activities such as selling virtual items and conducting gold-virtual currency transactions into real money.

Suitability of the high performance organization framework for Egyptian ICT companies: a replication study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Azmy Ateia ◽  
Saneya Abdelfattah El Galaly ◽  
André de Waal
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Replication Study ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Organization Framework ◽  
High Performance Organization ◽  
Ict Companies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to answer the research question “Is the high-performance organization (HPO) Framework suitable for non-governmental private sector organizations, specifically the affiliates of international companies operating in the ICT sector in Egypt?” Design/methodology/approach The research concerns a replication study in which the HPO Questionnaire was used to collect data, and factor analysis was applied to evaluate the reliability and consistency of the HPO Framework. The research approach was the same as applied by de Waal et al. (2016), but this time the research population consisted of affiliates of international ICT companies, instead of local ICT companies as in the de Waal et al. (2016) study. Findings Data gathered by means of the HPO Questionnaire from managers of these affiliates were used to evaluate the reliability and internal consistency of the HPO Framework. The confirmatory factor analysis was done twice, once for the original 35-characteristic HPO Framework and once for the 26-characteristic HPO Framework as proposed by de Waal et al. (2016) for Egyptian local ICT companies. The study results clearly show the applicability of the original 35-characteristic HPO Framework for measuring the organizational strength and identifying performance-gaps of ICT companies that are affiliates of international organizations operating in Egypt. Originality/value This study adds to the growing HPO literature on developing countries and helps Egyptian ICT companies to adopt high-performance practices to be able to contribute more to the economic development of Egypt.

Self-Managing Teams in Small and Medium Enterprises (SME)

2014 ◽  
pp. 280-300
Author(s):  
Mercedes Rubio-Andrés ◽  
Santiago Gutiérrez-Broncano ◽  
Luis Varona-Castillo
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Shared Responsibility ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Performance Practices ◽  
Personnel Decisions ◽  
Individual Knowledge ◽  
Medium Enterprises

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are looking for a sustainable and profitable business concept. They use a human resource model according to the situation and establish a democratic system with flexible work, focusing on responsibility and initiative and increasing the self-control of the team´s members. Self-managing teams have been used more and more in recent years in the business environment. They are relatively autonomous work groups whose members share responsibility and leadership to accomplish their independent tasks. Their objective is to develop a type of collective knowledge that requires the pooling of individual knowledge. Their characteristics include independent, autonomous decision making, shared responsibility, and shared leadership. Sometimes, self-managing teams are also responsible for personnel decisions within the team, such as working hours, the selection and contracting of members, dismissal, and even determining salaries. In sum, the authors propose self-managing teams (such as High Performance Practices) as a good human resource management in small and medium enterprises and show how they can help to create organizational effectiveness and competitive advantage in SMEs.

How Managerial Evolution Affects Newspaper Firms

1997 ◽  
Vol 18 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 103-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regina Louise Lewis
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Performance Practices

Survey finds that high-performance practices are less evident in newspaper production departments than in advertising or news-editorial departments.

The Case Study: A Useful Research Method for Information Management

1990 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 123-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Craig Smith
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Research Orientation ◽  
Research Problems

This paper urges greater recognition of the case study as a research method for information management. It acknowledges concern about the representatives of case studies but by specifying the relationships between epistemology and research methods shows that this concern is misplaced. Representatives is irrelevant for many research purposes, particularly when the distinction is made between logical and statistical inference. The validity of explanations or theory derived from case studies depends on the logic of the analysis and acknowledgement of ceteris paribus conditions, not on how typical the cases may be. Typologies of case studies have been proposed and these are considered, together with recommendations for the conduct of systematic and rigorous case study research. It is stressed that research problems should be addressed using appropriate research methods. Research of the important problems within the management area frequently demands a qualitative research approach, though it would seem that such an approach is often ignored because of a positivist research orientation. An assessment of the strengths and weakness of the case study method, which highlights its potential in the vital role of theory-building, leads to the conclusions that this method has much to commend it to information management researchers (1).

High performance work practices and competitive advantage in the Irish hospitality sector

2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pauline Connolly ◽  
Geraldine McGing
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Work Practices ◽  
Performance Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Performing ◽  
Competitive Edge ◽  
Cost Effective Method ◽  
High Performance Work Practices

PurposeFailte Ireland argues that high performance work practices will provide the Irish tourist industry with the necessary competitive edge. The main focus of this study is to explore the extent of these practices in the Irish hospitality industry with particular emphasis on the practices of staff empowerment and participation.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire was chosen as the most appropriate means of obtaining information from managers because respondents could be targeted in a cost effective method. A total of 71 questionnaires were mailed to managers in all three, four and five‐star hotels in the Dublin and greater Dublin area.FindingsThe data show that Dublin‐based hotels display some of the human resource practices associated with high performing work practices. There are, however, very low levels of employee participation, which many authors argue are the cornerstone of high performance practices.Practical implicationsThe Irish hotel industry is undergoing fundamental change, not least of which is the increasingly demanding and discerning clients. Customers are demanding quality products and services, speed and reliability of service, price competitiveness and innovation. If Irish hotels are to survive and remain competitive, the issue of staff representation, participation and the channels of communication will have to be addressed. Recognising, utilizing and developing their human resources may be the most significant challenge that management faces, and it is posited that those organisations that excel at this will be the industry leaders.Originality/valueThe paper offers insights into the realities of management practices in hotels in an Irish setting.

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