The Usefulness of a Simulated Environment in Ethnographic Research for Gaming and HCI

Abstract

Ethnography is now a widely used research method in information systems and gaming. It is one of the most in-depth research methods that can capture people’s feelings, behavior and opinions by the researcher getting immersed in the study. The main aspect of the research method is gathering the data by being in the ‘field’, gaining a deep insight by participating and observing the culture being studied. The authors have replaced the ‘field’ with simulated environments, and although this would tend to infer a less rich or truthful ethnographic study (from a purist’s perspective), they reflect on the usefulness in the context of two ongoing research studies. A Simulated Gaming Environment is proving to offer a suitably ‘real’ experience for the first author’s research, and a driving simulator is the only option for the second.