Huon Longman is a PhD student at Queensland University of Technology – his topic? World of Warcraft and the potential benefits of social relationships within the game world. Now he’s looking for people to help him out with his research – your reward? He’ll give some money to charity!
All that’s involved is a simple survey, which helps explore the effects, both positive and negative, of playing World of Warcraft. For every survey completed $1 will be donated to the Child’s Play Charity, up to $300. More info can be found below.
What is the purpose of the research?
This research is being conducted as part of PhD project at the Queensland University of Technology. The purpose of this research is to examine the social relationships between players of Massively-Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs), and the effect that these social relationships have on psychological symptoms, psychological wellbeing, and MMOG usage.Are you looking for people like me?
The research team is looking for players of the MMOG “World of Warcraft” over the age of 18 years willing to participate in the study.What will you ask me to do?
Your participation will involve completing an online questionnaire that will ask you general questions about your activities within “World of Warcraft”; general questions about your life outside of “World of Warcraft”; and questions about any symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress that you may be experiencing. It should take no longer than half an hour to complete.Are there any risks for me in taking part?
The research team does not believe there are any risks for you if you choose to participate in this research, or where risks exist they have been reviewed and suitable plans put in place. It should be noted that if you do agree to participate, you can withdraw from participation at any time during the project without comment or penalty. Should you experience any discomfort as a result of your participation, you will be provided with access to various resources to assist you.Are there any benefits for me in taking part?
It is expected that this project will not benefit you directly. However, it may potentially assist in efforts to promote health and wellbeing amongst players of MMORPGs.Will I be compensated for my time?
The researchers are not directly offering any incentives for your participation. However, for every participant who completes the survey, the research team will donate AU$1 to Child’s Play (www.childsplaycharity.org), a charity that donates game consoles to children in hospitals, up to a limit of AU$300.I am interested – what should I do next?
If you would like to participate in this study, please complete the online questionnaire by following this link.You will be provided with further information to ensure that your decision and consent to participate is fully informed.
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