Comic Strips & Virtual Models

Blog post by Griselda Jane

On December 8^th 2015, Chris Bailey from Sheffield Hallam University presented his ethnographic study of an afterschool Minecraft Club. He gave a fascinating presentation on the methodological approaches he used in the year-long ethnographic study. The study explored a ‘virtual community’ in the video game Minecraft, which was the focus of an after-school club. A range of visual and audio data was collected from children’s interaction on and off screen. Various methods of data collection were used, such as field notes, videos, photographs, screencasts, and screenshots. Chris explained the two different approaches used in different stages of the research.

The first stage of the research used the game to conduct a small group discussion sessions, with participants building a virtual model in Minecraft to represent their ideas of the game visually as well as verbally. Chris Bailey asked the important question ‘What if children don’t want to be interviewed?’ In response to this he showed how through Minecraft, he was able to find a platform for collecting research data with children on a range of topics. Furthermore, the playful methodology has given him a relaxing way to conduct the research and encouraged a nice flow of discussion among the children. Building sculptures of the blocks were able to showcase children’s personality and create a community in the club.

The second stage explained how comic strips were used to represent the data gathered in the club. The use of comic strips as an alternative to more traditional text based transcription techniques allowed Chris to show the combination of multiple modes of data such as movement, speech, gaze, text, and visual screen during the game. This method also allowed him to make the emotional expression and settings of Minecraft club visible. To make the comics he used the app ‘Comic Life’. This application was able to help with visual transcription and avoid the need to draw comics which would be time consuming and require additional skills.

Chris recommended some further reading: