Today is the beginning of the push to get the heavy writing finished. I have to complete the next theme, then conclude about that theme, then conclude the research question. Once I have completed that, I will review with supervisors and press on to write the rest.
The challenge I face at present is to ensure consistency throughout this impending theme and a coherent, logical flow through both related themes.
I'll aim to write minimum 1000 words a day but should be able to produce double that.
In concluding for the research question, I need to draw together the main points produced from the respective themes and combine them into a finite set of conclusive statements that are substantiated by the data I have obtained.
Each day I will re-read the previous day's writing and make any obvious changes before commencing the next phase. Writing is re-writing, and a toll is a toll, and a roll is a roll, and if we don't get no tolls then we don't eat no rolls. I didn't make that up.
This theme should encapsulate two things: one, how GDE is perceived by industry and two, how this perception came to be based on participant responses. Some tweaking of the lead in assumptions and framing of the research question may be required to better reflect these outcomes.
PICTURE
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Marking makes the world go something something
No thesis work today, but this week has been a reasonable start.
A reminder of what I need to do and consider when I come back to it:
1. Revise and re-read, making changes as I go.
2. Look at remaining comments and link those to relevant statistical data
3. Incorporate those comments or their analysis into the section. Do not let the comments drive the agenda; rather, draw the agenda from a number of comments and stats, then use more comments from each theme to concretize the point. Each theme is established at the start, but by the end each theme should be validated and a cause of each theme (for example, a negative attitude toward GDE) should be established by tying the threads of each theme together. I need to draw a diagram that illustrates this.
NOTE: Also add a timeline of the Australian industry to the intro.
4. Aim for about 3-4000 words per theme section (8 themes, somewhere between 24 and 32 thousand words). Structure is thus:
By gawd, I may actually finish this bastard.
A reminder of what I need to do and consider when I come back to it:
1. Revise and re-read, making changes as I go.
2. Look at remaining comments and link those to relevant statistical data
3. Incorporate those comments or their analysis into the section. Do not let the comments drive the agenda; rather, draw the agenda from a number of comments and stats, then use more comments from each theme to concretize the point. Each theme is established at the start, but by the end each theme should be validated and a cause of each theme (for example, a negative attitude toward GDE) should be established by tying the threads of each theme together. I need to draw a diagram that illustrates this.
NOTE: Also add a timeline of the Australian industry to the intro.
4. Aim for about 3-4000 words per theme section (8 themes, somewhere between 24 and 32 thousand words). Structure is thus:
- Research question
- Theme 1
- Establish causal links based on comments and stats
- Theme 2
- Establish causal links based on comments and stats
- Conclusion for this research question
- Draw the threads (and links) of each theme together to address why this negative perception (e.g.) exists.
- Summarise comments post-analysis, i.e. "This has been said, this data supports the notion and suggests why it has been said, ergo the outcome is bingo bango.
- Probably need to frame the conclusions as aimed at the education stakeholders, i.e. "Industry says this, it is substantiated, therefore education lacks this or must do that"
- I write good.
By gawd, I may actually finish this bastard.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Why my results mean nothing
Firstly, I have only interviewed two people (well really it's five but am yet to determine if I should include their stuff). They are however senior people, so they should offer a higher level perspective than a lower level developer might, but it's difficult to assert much of anything based on what two people think of a situation.
Second, I did not ask the right questions, or the questions to match my initial thoughts. However, my initial thoughts have guided me to this point. Then again, it should be from the results that the discussion arises; answers to the questions I did ask form the backbone of this discussion. For instance, negative perception; I asked what they thought of GDE and almost to a man (or woman) the comments were disparaging. Incidentally, I may have to justify why I aligned a certain comment with a particular theme. Expanding on the questions that were asked and the context in which the quote arose may do, or it may cause me to reshuffle which theme these quotes fit into.
Third, have I uncovered anything original? I have specifically addressed the Australian industry which is unique in that it has been borne off the back of fee for service but now finds itself drifting toward a more indie setup. Does this constitute an original contribution? I have determined that the games industry thinks poorly of GDE. The question is why? The answer to this question is potentially an original contribution. Can I answer it? Perceived lack of understanding from the educational end. Also, basic disinterest about GDE. It's simply not a priority for developers right now. Asserting the value of a team ethic is not original, it's been asserted in literature. Education is devalued and has no further role to play in the minds of developers. Education needs to be able to offer more; the concepts handed to student groups idea is one possible way. Explore alternative means of interaction, contrast to current interaction.
Another possible contribution is the educational background of developers and the dearth of GDE qualifications among them. This ties in to the qualitative aspects of the study, where GDE is rather frowned upon. This perhaps allows me to illustrate A) that devs aren't really hiring GDE grads and B) as evidenced by the statistical lack of GDE grads from the survey data. List the reasons why according to the interviewees, then supplement with quantitative data as intended in the Methodology chapter. It's brilliant! (no it isn't (quiet you!)).
Fourth, will I answer my questions? The educational background one seems like a dead cert. The perception one also seems like a dead cert, though perhaps the questions can be broader. Perhaps a question about the role of GDE in the future based on the responses?
The issue is the themes I have and how to shoehorn them under the questions. Perhaps the question of educational background can encompass the Developer education, Skills, Graduate opportunities and Extra-curricular work themes? Aha! The perception one, a broader topic, can encompass the negative perception and interaction themes, while the industry and future themes can fit into a third question, perhaps. I'll go with that for now. Maybe graduate opportunities can be a floater... hmm.
More later. Now, writing.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Discussion chapter begins
I'll be at some point discussing the value of soft/interpersonal skills in a game development context. Question is, do I draw a parallel with straight IT which also has a strong team focus (and if I do does this mean that the large volume of feedback from respondents that emphasises the value of team focus is just par for the course in any IT related field), or do I explore the notion that this parallel is spurious? The interdisciplinary nature of game development marks the kind of team focus required of its exponents as specialised; IT requires a team focus as products require teams to design, produce and manage them, but straight IT typically offers a reasonably homogeneous skill set among the team members. Game development features interaction between markedly different skill sets, such as programming and art, or audio and game design. Summarily, the technical and creative are mashed together in a Venn diagram-ish kind of way.
Does this set game development teamwork apart from what might be termed 'generic' team work? I believe it does. It is important to improve one's capacity to work and interact effectively with others in pursuit of a common goal, regardless of skill set or discipline. This should hold true for any career aspirant. Where game development differs (and as such must be catered to in order to maximise the value of a GDE graduate for instance), is the nature of that interaction. Grouping students together randomly in a GDE setting is not satisfactory; grouping students of differing skill sets together in equal distribution is required.
In short, if a group of 30 students is to be divided into 10 groups, those groups will ideally be composed of one artist, one programmer and one designer, though the presence of the third is debatable given the tendency toward smaller studios and therefore a more democratic design approach. The conundrum of the specialist designer is a side issue for now, but does affect the makeup of a typical GDE-focused student team.
The importance of this equality of distribution is established through the responses from respondents, especially those interviewed. Numerous references to the difficulties in getting the technically minded and the creatively minded to mesh highlight the need for team-savvy graduates, familiar with the pitfalls of interdiscplinary interaction and the tendency toward frustrating impasses.
The above highlights a need to properly define the terms used when referring to disciplines and how they interact.
Jessup (2007) defines multidisciplinary in a team context as the utilisation of skills and experience of individuals from different disciplines, with each discipline approaching the problem (project) from their own and their disciplinary perspective. In this sense, game development is multidisciplinary as the three key legs of the development tripod (design, programming and art) are each distinct and arguably do not overlap. Designers are concerned with the mechanical and rule defining aspects of the development process, mapping out the internal logic of the game irrespective of its final format. Programmers are concerned with the transposition of those designed elements into code, managing the technical constraints and maximising efficiency. They are concerned with the practicalities of making the game playable on the target platform (excluding physical games or board games for moment). Artists are concerned with the aesthetic representation of gameworld components; characters, environments, styles, themes. Their discipline identifies most closely with the generic notion of creativity. Audio is obviously a major component for any major title and the role of the audio designer could be categorised as falling somewhere between each of the three major disciplines.
Game development is however also interdisciplinary. Jessup (2007) defines an interdisciplinary approach as as the integration of ostensibly separate disciplines or disciplinary approaches into a single unified approach.
Though the above GD disciplines are distinct, it is only in concert that typical game development process can take place. A job description that has become increasingly common in game development studios is that of the technical artist. The role of the technical artists is to act as a link between the wholly technical programmer and the (almost) wholly creative artist. This role embodies the interdisciplinary nature of game development, but even without this role, artists are expected to have an appreciation of the limitations, resource management issues and structural challenges faced by programmers. Likewise, programmers are expected to have a handle on the restrictions faced by artists and a feel for the value of art in a qualitative rather than quantitative sense. Designers lie somewhere in the middle, but, as pointed out by a respondent, a successful designer should have sufficient technical skill and be able to produce their own prototypes, else their designs will suffer from a lack of appreciation for the technical constraints imposed by whatever code base or platform they are working on.
Exponents of each discipline must be able to converse and confer with each other in order for the development process to move forward consistently. They must successfully integrate their respective disciplines and unite in the pursuit of the finished article.
To return to the original conceit, that being the importance of defining game development team focus as different to a more generic team focus in straight IT, the key role of GDE should be to expose students to this type of team structure. The differing skill sets and personality types that tend to accompany them do not necessarily meld easily.
I'm noticing the need to better establish my definitions for these roles (art, design, programming). A bit more reading is required. The lit review will likely absorb the bulk of this stuff; it's important to define what design, art and programming in the game context actually is and I need to justify the marking of these three roles as The Big Three.
That should do for now. As I progress, I'll write more specifically about that which I am looking at currently, rather than writing tangentially.
A brief recap: the first major theme is the negative perception of GDE, which the above does not really cover. BUT, the notion that educational institutions are where this GD specific team focus should be instilled is perhaps not spoken of by respondents. Their focus tends to be skill based, what unis and colleges can offer them in terms of technically skilled graduates (particularly the comment about it being better to use free or inexpensive online resources rather then get a GDE degree), but a strength of education should be the capacity to expose students to the 'studio' way of thinking, working and interacting. I'll carry that theme on in the skills section most like. Possibly best to leave pointing this sort of thing out until the summary sections though.
Next, I address more specifically the negative perception of GDE, pulling out comments in aid of exploring the theme.
Does this set game development teamwork apart from what might be termed 'generic' team work? I believe it does. It is important to improve one's capacity to work and interact effectively with others in pursuit of a common goal, regardless of skill set or discipline. This should hold true for any career aspirant. Where game development differs (and as such must be catered to in order to maximise the value of a GDE graduate for instance), is the nature of that interaction. Grouping students together randomly in a GDE setting is not satisfactory; grouping students of differing skill sets together in equal distribution is required.
In short, if a group of 30 students is to be divided into 10 groups, those groups will ideally be composed of one artist, one programmer and one designer, though the presence of the third is debatable given the tendency toward smaller studios and therefore a more democratic design approach. The conundrum of the specialist designer is a side issue for now, but does affect the makeup of a typical GDE-focused student team.
The importance of this equality of distribution is established through the responses from respondents, especially those interviewed. Numerous references to the difficulties in getting the technically minded and the creatively minded to mesh highlight the need for team-savvy graduates, familiar with the pitfalls of interdiscplinary interaction and the tendency toward frustrating impasses.
The above highlights a need to properly define the terms used when referring to disciplines and how they interact.
Jessup (2007) defines multidisciplinary in a team context as the utilisation of skills and experience of individuals from different disciplines, with each discipline approaching the problem (project) from their own and their disciplinary perspective. In this sense, game development is multidisciplinary as the three key legs of the development tripod (design, programming and art) are each distinct and arguably do not overlap. Designers are concerned with the mechanical and rule defining aspects of the development process, mapping out the internal logic of the game irrespective of its final format. Programmers are concerned with the transposition of those designed elements into code, managing the technical constraints and maximising efficiency. They are concerned with the practicalities of making the game playable on the target platform (excluding physical games or board games for moment). Artists are concerned with the aesthetic representation of gameworld components; characters, environments, styles, themes. Their discipline identifies most closely with the generic notion of creativity. Audio is obviously a major component for any major title and the role of the audio designer could be categorised as falling somewhere between each of the three major disciplines.
Game development is however also interdisciplinary. Jessup (2007) defines an interdisciplinary approach as as the integration of ostensibly separate disciplines or disciplinary approaches into a single unified approach.
Though the above GD disciplines are distinct, it is only in concert that typical game development process can take place. A job description that has become increasingly common in game development studios is that of the technical artist. The role of the technical artists is to act as a link between the wholly technical programmer and the (almost) wholly creative artist. This role embodies the interdisciplinary nature of game development, but even without this role, artists are expected to have an appreciation of the limitations, resource management issues and structural challenges faced by programmers. Likewise, programmers are expected to have a handle on the restrictions faced by artists and a feel for the value of art in a qualitative rather than quantitative sense. Designers lie somewhere in the middle, but, as pointed out by a respondent, a successful designer should have sufficient technical skill and be able to produce their own prototypes, else their designs will suffer from a lack of appreciation for the technical constraints imposed by whatever code base or platform they are working on.
Exponents of each discipline must be able to converse and confer with each other in order for the development process to move forward consistently. They must successfully integrate their respective disciplines and unite in the pursuit of the finished article.
To return to the original conceit, that being the importance of defining game development team focus as different to a more generic team focus in straight IT, the key role of GDE should be to expose students to this type of team structure. The differing skill sets and personality types that tend to accompany them do not necessarily meld easily.
I'm noticing the need to better establish my definitions for these roles (art, design, programming). A bit more reading is required. The lit review will likely absorb the bulk of this stuff; it's important to define what design, art and programming in the game context actually is and I need to justify the marking of these three roles as The Big Three.
That should do for now. As I progress, I'll write more specifically about that which I am looking at currently, rather than writing tangentially.
A brief recap: the first major theme is the negative perception of GDE, which the above does not really cover. BUT, the notion that educational institutions are where this GD specific team focus should be instilled is perhaps not spoken of by respondents. Their focus tends to be skill based, what unis and colleges can offer them in terms of technically skilled graduates (particularly the comment about it being better to use free or inexpensive online resources rather then get a GDE degree), but a strength of education should be the capacity to expose students to the 'studio' way of thinking, working and interacting. I'll carry that theme on in the skills section most like. Possibly best to leave pointing this sort of thing out until the summary sections though.
Next, I address more specifically the negative perception of GDE, pulling out comments in aid of exploring the theme.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
OH MY GOOODDDDDDDD I'M BACK and there is no god
Wahey, hello nobody at all.
For the discussion portion of my thesis which I am about to embark upon, I will be posting a weekly summary of my thoughts and feeling and thoughts in order to reflect on the process and hopefully add insight to it in a sort of think-write-blog-think feedback loop and this sentence is too long.
Part One: The Thinkening
I have dribbled out a few pages of bullet points that roughly pertain to the various things in my head that are thesis related. These are the concepts and inklings about this and that that have been loudly and interminably kicking around my head for some four or more years. By getting them out and into a readable format, I can start to shape them into a meaningful expression of the many (some even good) ideas I've chewed over for millennia/a few years.
My oh-so-clever-plan is to massage and shape these topic into a recognisable order; once this is achieved, flow will magically follow and all our prisoners will be released. You will perish in flames, Gozer will destroy you and your kind (what an asshole).
Anyway, ordering the topics, eliminating duplication and fleshing out the lines of thought embodied by subtopics should neatly subsume the last phase of the Thinkening. The next phase will almost certainly follow, that being:
Part Two: The Fleshening
The Fleshening sounds like a maudlin and unintentionally humorous non-canonical fan-penned addition to the Hellraiser saga BUT while that sounds like a good idea (Pinhead bellowed a mirthless titter and, pausing for effect, farted loudly before descending into a peghole in the floor (much as bathwater might do when the plug is pulled). Before his spiny head had liquefied and drained from the room, he uttered in that tiresomely dreadful Barry White-esque half whisper, "I weed in your clothes hamper and I'll tear your linens apaaaarrtt...." "His once dramatic exits have rather diminished of late", thought Kirsty) what it really means is that I'll flesh out (see) each point and draw in results that are related to each point.
This should take a while but once finished, I can set about expanding on each fleshy point in order, loosening my writing muscle for the first time in years. This should be the most enjoyable and lucid period of the whole mess so I'll be shitty if it isn't.
This third stanza will be known as
Part Three: Gettin' Swole
Gettin' swole will see ol' Skerret dipping his quill in earnest for thousands of words at a time and making the Real Writing happen. This is the mother lode, the piece de resistance, the show stopper, the final Danny La Rue costume change. It's Shangri La on dope, hopefully. This part sees me adding the muscle, sinew, tendons and nerve endings to the thing, completing each section before moving on to the next (unless something really stands out as belonging elsewhere).
For now, we'll call that the Rough Guide to Finishing A Thesis 18 Months Late.
Each week as mentioned, a new series of thoughts, more localized, will be strewn about like scales from a replicant's GE snake.
Adieu, nobody.
For the discussion portion of my thesis which I am about to embark upon, I will be posting a weekly summary of my thoughts and feeling and thoughts in order to reflect on the process and hopefully add insight to it in a sort of think-write-blog-think feedback loop and this sentence is too long.
Part One: The Thinkening
I have dribbled out a few pages of bullet points that roughly pertain to the various things in my head that are thesis related. These are the concepts and inklings about this and that that have been loudly and interminably kicking around my head for some four or more years. By getting them out and into a readable format, I can start to shape them into a meaningful expression of the many (some even good) ideas I've chewed over for millennia/a few years.
My oh-so-clever-plan is to massage and shape these topic into a recognisable order; once this is achieved, flow will magically follow and all our prisoners will be released. You will perish in flames, Gozer will destroy you and your kind (what an asshole).
Anyway, ordering the topics, eliminating duplication and fleshing out the lines of thought embodied by subtopics should neatly subsume the last phase of the Thinkening. The next phase will almost certainly follow, that being:
Part Two: The Fleshening
The Fleshening sounds like a maudlin and unintentionally humorous non-canonical fan-penned addition to the Hellraiser saga BUT while that sounds like a good idea (Pinhead bellowed a mirthless titter and, pausing for effect, farted loudly before descending into a peghole in the floor (much as bathwater might do when the plug is pulled). Before his spiny head had liquefied and drained from the room, he uttered in that tiresomely dreadful Barry White-esque half whisper, "I weed in your clothes hamper and I'll tear your linens apaaaarrtt...." "His once dramatic exits have rather diminished of late", thought Kirsty) what it really means is that I'll flesh out (see) each point and draw in results that are related to each point.
This should take a while but once finished, I can set about expanding on each fleshy point in order, loosening my writing muscle for the first time in years. This should be the most enjoyable and lucid period of the whole mess so I'll be shitty if it isn't.
This third stanza will be known as
Part Three: Gettin' Swole
Gettin' swole will see ol' Skerret dipping his quill in earnest for thousands of words at a time and making the Real Writing happen. This is the mother lode, the piece de resistance, the show stopper, the final Danny La Rue costume change. It's Shangri La on dope, hopefully. This part sees me adding the muscle, sinew, tendons and nerve endings to the thing, completing each section before moving on to the next (unless something really stands out as belonging elsewhere).
For now, we'll call that the Rough Guide to Finishing A Thesis 18 Months Late.
Each week as mentioned, a new series of thoughts, more localized, will be strewn about like scales from a replicant's GE snake.
Adieu, nobody.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Interview With A Vampire/Game Developer
So hello again nobody and this week it so happens that the lovely Adrian/EvilRedEye has just interviewed Shaun and I about our recent Call Connect adventure. There were many questions, all of which we answered. Any press is good when you're as lowly as we are so I'll take it. In other news, I managed to do a leeetle bit of work this week which is very encouraging.
A touch of revision, some unit tinkering and a pinch of organization (plus I fixed my blinds after planning to do it for some two years now) saw me through to Friday with a spring in my crippled step. Actually not so crippled; my weightlifting has gone up a notch and I'm feeling spritely. My knees don't hurt anymore, hurrah.
I picked up a cat today; cats are nice. I'm clearly running out of things to write which is very me. Normally I can flounder for a word in the most eloquent fashion but that capacity seems to have diminished of late (bar this sentence). I have to go now because Ellie's possibly going to come over here and read this drivel and I'd rather not be here when she does. It's emb
arrassing!
A touch of revision, some unit tinkering and a pinch of organization (plus I fixed my blinds after planning to do it for some two years now) saw me through to Friday with a spring in my crippled step. Actually not so crippled; my weightlifting has gone up a notch and I'm feeling spritely. My knees don't hurt anymore, hurrah.
I picked up a cat today; cats are nice. I'm clearly running out of things to write which is very me. Normally I can flounder for a word in the most eloquent fashion but that capacity seems to have diminished of late (bar this sentence). I have to go now because Ellie's possibly going to come over here and read this drivel and I'd rather not be here when she does. It's emb
arrassing!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
I'm fecking BACK
Callously whips the wind around the bare- oh fuck it. This is the year of Reckoning, as in I Reckon I better fucking do something. Once a week, either with wit or wisdom or likely neither to dispense to an audience comprised of phantasms, hobgoblins and mobfoblins (note: look up mobfoblins). And me, of course. I'm loathe to begin a sentence with the word 'and' but is that not the state of the world? Quietly and grimly shuffle along while your defining characteristics, preferences and loves are forcibly directed along a narrow path to a less than stellar doom. Fuck 'em. It's the year of me. Weekly updates to follow. Also fuck Twitter.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Re-establishing contact with an old friend, or how I learned to stop procrastinating and whatever.
I glanced at the sidebar of this very blog which is mine and noticed the frequency with which I would post something ever dwindling, twirling, twirling towards infinity. I thought it time to try and rectify this, especially seeing as I now have an actual audience rather than a pretend one (hi Kree).
So here I am, florid with an infestation of possibilities. PhD could be going better but I expect that will be the case until I finish it if I ever do. I have been doing some game development which has been both a lark and a nagging pain in my lower back. We (the Crab and I) have nearly finished a game called NEOTANK9000 which is for Deakin to woo prospective revenue sources, otherwise known as students, with. It's not groundbreaking, polished, or even very good, but it is ours and that counts for a lot. We'll create a web browser version and pop it on our website.
Once that is signed off, er, on, we can finally complete our iPhone game which we have spent close to a year (one day a week mind) producing. This is called CallConnect and harks back to the heady days of sticking phone jacks into things. You know, Before The Internet. It seems so long ago now... I used to read books, see films, engage in conversations with real people who occupied the same room or space that I did (though not exactly the same space as that would be physically impossible lest you'd employed some sort of time and space altering device to allow two objects to occupy the same space simultaneously. It's science fiction!). Those days are long gone. I have installed a speaker set inside a real doll and I conduct Skype conversations with it. Sometimes, when the light catches the gossamer thin strands of hair that adorn the soft, undulating edges of her delicate frame (they took ages to put in by hand too), I turn febrile and weep for mankind. None of this actually happened... or did it (it didn't)??
So; PhD, PC game, iPhone game, ongoing battle to hide Genevieve from my housemate. I have done very little in the way of drawing lately, which shames me, but I'll return to that once I have cleared my plate of other more immediately persistent morsels.
Praise atheism
So here I am, florid with an infestation of possibilities. PhD could be going better but I expect that will be the case until I finish it if I ever do. I have been doing some game development which has been both a lark and a nagging pain in my lower back. We (the Crab and I) have nearly finished a game called NEOTANK9000 which is for Deakin to woo prospective revenue sources, otherwise known as students, with. It's not groundbreaking, polished, or even very good, but it is ours and that counts for a lot. We'll create a web browser version and pop it on our website.
Once that is signed off, er, on, we can finally complete our iPhone game which we have spent close to a year (one day a week mind) producing. This is called CallConnect and harks back to the heady days of sticking phone jacks into things. You know, Before The Internet. It seems so long ago now... I used to read books, see films, engage in conversations with real people who occupied the same room or space that I did (though not exactly the same space as that would be physically impossible lest you'd employed some sort of time and space altering device to allow two objects to occupy the same space simultaneously. It's science fiction!). Those days are long gone. I have installed a speaker set inside a real doll and I conduct Skype conversations with it. Sometimes, when the light catches the gossamer thin strands of hair that adorn the soft, undulating edges of her delicate frame (they took ages to put in by hand too), I turn febrile and weep for mankind. None of this actually happened... or did it (it didn't)??
So; PhD, PC game, iPhone game, ongoing battle to hide Genevieve from my housemate. I have done very little in the way of drawing lately, which shames me, but I'll return to that once I have cleared my plate of other more immediately persistent morsels.
Praise atheism
Monday, February 14, 2011
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Ho ho hum
The difficulty I have when it comes to writing is as follows: I can't do it.
I can actually, if you can call it that, but I tend not to write the things that I really want to write. This may be because I have no precisely no idea what those things are. Do you follow? Anything I commit to paper or screen typically turns all stream of consciousness absurdist surrealism in a can which quickly becomes tiresome. Something character driven would be ideal wouldn't it?
Gathering ideas as fodder is not something I do as a rule, but poor is the man who remembers nothing, or something. Whatever. Making a note of that which I routinely observe for later use will become my new battleground, largely because it'll be a desperate fucking struggle to commit to anything that does not involve remaining quite still and ocularly occupied, or 'occupied'.
This impassioned plea to my brain will not go unheeded. Nay, shall the fruits of my advancing temporal state not be harvested? as I descend into spiralling, fruity madness, craving a gooseberry or similar. Lest the overripe mindfruit grow too fat and fall, I will dock at the base of this vast wooden edifice and arrange my hands thusly to envelop the fallen as they ripple through air and motes and then some more air. See, every damn time.
I can actually, if you can call it that, but I tend not to write the things that I really want to write. This may be because I have no precisely no idea what those things are. Do you follow? Anything I commit to paper or screen typically turns all stream of consciousness absurdist surrealism in a can which quickly becomes tiresome. Something character driven would be ideal wouldn't it?
Gathering ideas as fodder is not something I do as a rule, but poor is the man who remembers nothing, or something. Whatever. Making a note of that which I routinely observe for later use will become my new battleground, largely because it'll be a desperate fucking struggle to commit to anything that does not involve remaining quite still and ocularly occupied, or 'occupied'.
This impassioned plea to my brain will not go unheeded. Nay, shall the fruits of my advancing temporal state not be harvested? as I descend into spiralling, fruity madness, craving a gooseberry or similar. Lest the overripe mindfruit grow too fat and fall, I will dock at the base of this vast wooden edifice and arrange my hands thusly to envelop the fallen as they ripple through air and motes and then some more air. See, every damn time.
Monday, November 8, 2010
A New Hope Part 2: The Hopening
OK, it's go time, again. The case study at this stage has been scrapped. This will require a re-write of the methods chapter. It's around 4000 words or so, therefore it shouldn't be too taxing. Since I am effectively replacing the case study with a far more detailed quantitative study, I need to explore literature and guides on how to a) acquire the data, though a survey seems the most appropriate, b) how to analyse the data once I have it (so that is it not only coherent but of use to the stakeholders) and c) how to broach the subject with developers in a way that expresses the value they will potentially derive from this data and how to organize a system so that the data collection is ongoing. I'll need to look at how organizations (such as EEDAR if we're being game dev specific) gather their data and package it.
The trick is discerning which topics to collect data on; age, education, experience, etc. These obvious ones are all well and good, but I need to determine what is going to be of use to industry. This will require some discussion, quite probably during the interview process. I need to be able to gather the data probably by mid year, then spend probably 2 months analysing it. Following that, hopefully the results will bear out on two fronts; one, the interviews should provide enough fodder on the issues of GDE that I can put together recommendations for how to approach building a games course, the importance of internships and real world experience, the need for a more structured approach to education and industry interaction, the value of teamwork and soft skill and the absolute need for a well rounded skill set. This research is the exploratory part.
The quant part is the more practical, immediately useful part. I need to outline what the data will be used for and how long it will before the data will be useful to educators. For example, it may take a year to gather data on not only existing developers but developers who join the industry in 12 months to get a better picture of where these developers are coming from. Regarding how the data will be used, a university games course chair might view the data and note that the majority of programmers new to industry (or within 5 years) all have a strong C++ background, so it would be logical to ensure that students of that course are adequately exposed to C++.
The interview process will still be vital, as a large part of this research is still exploratory.
So, a balance must be struck. The plan has been revised to ensure the outcomes have a greater practical purpose for stakeholders; while previously the data would be largely qualitative, the balance is now more evenly split. I need to knock together a few diagrams to illustrate this new direction for my own edification, then put together a schedule detailing what I'll be doing and when. Following that, I need to revise my methods chapter and educate myself on data analysis methods in place of the case study literature I previously included.
More to come.
The trick is discerning which topics to collect data on; age, education, experience, etc. These obvious ones are all well and good, but I need to determine what is going to be of use to industry. This will require some discussion, quite probably during the interview process. I need to be able to gather the data probably by mid year, then spend probably 2 months analysing it. Following that, hopefully the results will bear out on two fronts; one, the interviews should provide enough fodder on the issues of GDE that I can put together recommendations for how to approach building a games course, the importance of internships and real world experience, the need for a more structured approach to education and industry interaction, the value of teamwork and soft skill and the absolute need for a well rounded skill set. This research is the exploratory part.
The quant part is the more practical, immediately useful part. I need to outline what the data will be used for and how long it will before the data will be useful to educators. For example, it may take a year to gather data on not only existing developers but developers who join the industry in 12 months to get a better picture of where these developers are coming from. Regarding how the data will be used, a university games course chair might view the data and note that the majority of programmers new to industry (or within 5 years) all have a strong C++ background, so it would be logical to ensure that students of that course are adequately exposed to C++.
The interview process will still be vital, as a large part of this research is still exploratory.
So, a balance must be struck. The plan has been revised to ensure the outcomes have a greater practical purpose for stakeholders; while previously the data would be largely qualitative, the balance is now more evenly split. I need to knock together a few diagrams to illustrate this new direction for my own edification, then put together a schedule detailing what I'll be doing and when. Following that, I need to revise my methods chapter and educate myself on data analysis methods in place of the case study literature I previously included.
More to come.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
A New Hope
It is a period of academic war. Rebel research teams, striking from a hidden office, have won their first victory against the evil University Empire. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire’s ultimate weapon, A LACK OF STRUCTURE AND FOCUS, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire candidature. Pursued by the Empire’s sinister agents, Prince Greg races home aboard his starship/hatchback, custodian of the stolen plans that can save his thesis and restore freedom to the galaxy…
A recent trip to GCAP has proven very useful pour moi. I realised properly that the scope of this thing was excessive, but the problem seemed to warrant all bases being covered until I had a clearer picture of the best and most useful course of action. By useful, I mean useful to the potential stakeholders; students, industry and education. My initial and til recently current plan was to create an overview of the industry and produce, as a key outcome, a set of recommendations about how a games course should be delivered among other things. There was a vague notion of acting as an education liaison in there somewhere but it was not fully formed.
What has become apparent is the importance of 'useful' data; a key goal of this kind of research should be to produce something tangible and ongoing. That was another revelation (of sorts); any data collected should be set up in such a way that it is not just a snapshot of that period, but sustainable. This means designing a data collection method that will be repeated each year or 6 months.
This means a revamp of the research design and, thankfully, a lessening of the amount of interviewing I will have to undertake. 1 hour interview time equates to 4 hours of transcription time if you are an experienced transcriber. The case study, following discussion with a few likely types, would seem redundant as one arrangement between a university and a developer is unlikely to be similar to another arrangement. This means a case study would not really reflect the state of play.
Of greater value would be the conducting of interviews with studio heads and some educators to get their view on the industry and where the problems lie, perform some qualitative analysis on the results, and identify the key themes to construct a series of guidelines or recommendations. This aspect of the research is still valid as this kind of study is still largely formative. These recommendations would be coupled with the aforementioned 'hard data', itself rather more immediately useful to developers, educators and recruiters alike.
To summarize the outcomes: a series of recommendations about how game development education and relationships can be improved, coupled with a data series detailing educational background, age and experience and other fields of as many existing developers as possible. This data would serve as a reference point for a) developers who wish to recruit new employees b) educators who wish to ensure their courses are relevant and c) recruitment agencies.
Ok ok, let's just back the fuck off for a moment shall we? What precisely is happening and will happen in the future? Let's deconstruct, in fact let's tear it all down, analyse, revamp, rebuild. Okay, so I'm dropping the case study element as it seems unlikely to generate useful results. I'm introducing a heavier quant element, that being the sustainable data on game developers. A 5 year limit or thereabouts should ensure that those within that range would have had the option of attending a games course (assuming they have a formal qualification).
So, though I've mentioned it above, who does this new element benefit and how? Let's see. Collecting annual data about new additions to the games industry should allow devs, educators and recruiters to get a handle on who is getting in, who isn't and why. If the majority of new employees are not grads/have experience, this means there are not enough grad positions and steps can be taken to address this issue. If grads are getting jobs but few are game course grads, then there is clearly an issue with the existing crop of games courses. Beyond gathering data on every developer within the preferred range, identifying a group of developers and following their progress over a period of time would be ideal.
Question is, precisely what do I need to extract from the participants? Age, educational background (school, tertiary, short courses), prior experience, position in the company, others? I'll come back to this and flesh it out further.
A recent trip to GCAP has proven very useful pour moi. I realised properly that the scope of this thing was excessive, but the problem seemed to warrant all bases being covered until I had a clearer picture of the best and most useful course of action. By useful, I mean useful to the potential stakeholders; students, industry and education. My initial and til recently current plan was to create an overview of the industry and produce, as a key outcome, a set of recommendations about how a games course should be delivered among other things. There was a vague notion of acting as an education liaison in there somewhere but it was not fully formed.
What has become apparent is the importance of 'useful' data; a key goal of this kind of research should be to produce something tangible and ongoing. That was another revelation (of sorts); any data collected should be set up in such a way that it is not just a snapshot of that period, but sustainable. This means designing a data collection method that will be repeated each year or 6 months.
This means a revamp of the research design and, thankfully, a lessening of the amount of interviewing I will have to undertake. 1 hour interview time equates to 4 hours of transcription time if you are an experienced transcriber. The case study, following discussion with a few likely types, would seem redundant as one arrangement between a university and a developer is unlikely to be similar to another arrangement. This means a case study would not really reflect the state of play.
Of greater value would be the conducting of interviews with studio heads and some educators to get their view on the industry and where the problems lie, perform some qualitative analysis on the results, and identify the key themes to construct a series of guidelines or recommendations. This aspect of the research is still valid as this kind of study is still largely formative. These recommendations would be coupled with the aforementioned 'hard data', itself rather more immediately useful to developers, educators and recruiters alike.
To summarize the outcomes: a series of recommendations about how game development education and relationships can be improved, coupled with a data series detailing educational background, age and experience and other fields of as many existing developers as possible. This data would serve as a reference point for a) developers who wish to recruit new employees b) educators who wish to ensure their courses are relevant and c) recruitment agencies.
Ok ok, let's just back the fuck off for a moment shall we? What precisely is happening and will happen in the future? Let's deconstruct, in fact let's tear it all down, analyse, revamp, rebuild. Okay, so I'm dropping the case study element as it seems unlikely to generate useful results. I'm introducing a heavier quant element, that being the sustainable data on game developers. A 5 year limit or thereabouts should ensure that those within that range would have had the option of attending a games course (assuming they have a formal qualification).
So, though I've mentioned it above, who does this new element benefit and how? Let's see. Collecting annual data about new additions to the games industry should allow devs, educators and recruiters to get a handle on who is getting in, who isn't and why. If the majority of new employees are not grads/have experience, this means there are not enough grad positions and steps can be taken to address this issue. If grads are getting jobs but few are game course grads, then there is clearly an issue with the existing crop of games courses. Beyond gathering data on every developer within the preferred range, identifying a group of developers and following their progress over a period of time would be ideal.
Question is, precisely what do I need to extract from the participants? Age, educational background (school, tertiary, short courses), prior experience, position in the company, others? I'll come back to this and flesh it out further.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
GCAP '10
Fascinating trip to GCAP this year (that is to say GCAP itself was fascinating, not the trip there. That was mundane and, dare I say it, rather painful).
If I could sum up this year's conference in one word it would be this one: marketing.
This word and subsequently theme was common to 80% of presentations, particularly the plenaries. David Edery's take on the lifecycle of a console is a useful guide for those wishing to maximize their chances of success when launching a new title on a particular platform.
The chaps at Endgame offered one of the few solely gameplay focused presentations as they outlined the difficulties they encountered when balancing, er, difficulty. Fractured Soul for the DS is a gamers game, if there is such a thing any more; if there is, this it is one, or something. A significant portion of their presentation was centred around the user testing process and the feedback generated by it. Heartbreaking might be one way to describe it. However, for the sake of a little pain, a well balanced gameplay experience is its own reward.
The Doublefine keynote was entertaining though not particularly relevant to those not running a large studio. Despite that, it did offer one particular lesson applicable to any developer; take risks.
Between sessions we were treated to a middling selection of pastries, none of which tempted me (though they were quickly snapped up by other more ravenous developers. Devs are a fine judges of pastryflesh). Lunch was distinctly DIY which seemed in keeping with the rise of local indie developers, though I can't say I was the target market given the lack of veggie options. Still, while I don't have the stats handy I'd suggest the average developers diet would consist of cakes, donuts and liquefied versions of those for refreshment (and possibly bathing purposes).
All in all, a successful trip. Gold Coast was fucking horrible though, that casino's lighting system looked like an offcast from the set of the original Tron. Couple that with the Elvis impersonators and the ghastly women who inhabited said casino and the inside of my drab yet spacious digs at Best Western were entirely preferable. That said, $35 for not cleaning my dishes? gefuckd
If I could sum up this year's conference in one word it would be this one: marketing.
This word and subsequently theme was common to 80% of presentations, particularly the plenaries. David Edery's take on the lifecycle of a console is a useful guide for those wishing to maximize their chances of success when launching a new title on a particular platform.
The chaps at Endgame offered one of the few solely gameplay focused presentations as they outlined the difficulties they encountered when balancing, er, difficulty. Fractured Soul for the DS is a gamers game, if there is such a thing any more; if there is, this it is one, or something. A significant portion of their presentation was centred around the user testing process and the feedback generated by it. Heartbreaking might be one way to describe it. However, for the sake of a little pain, a well balanced gameplay experience is its own reward.
The Doublefine keynote was entertaining though not particularly relevant to those not running a large studio. Despite that, it did offer one particular lesson applicable to any developer; take risks.
Between sessions we were treated to a middling selection of pastries, none of which tempted me (though they were quickly snapped up by other more ravenous developers. Devs are a fine judges of pastryflesh). Lunch was distinctly DIY which seemed in keeping with the rise of local indie developers, though I can't say I was the target market given the lack of veggie options. Still, while I don't have the stats handy I'd suggest the average developers diet would consist of cakes, donuts and liquefied versions of those for refreshment (and possibly bathing purposes).
All in all, a successful trip. Gold Coast was fucking horrible though, that casino's lighting system looked like an offcast from the set of the original Tron. Couple that with the Elvis impersonators and the ghastly women who inhabited said casino and the inside of my drab yet spacious digs at Best Western were entirely preferable. That said, $35 for not cleaning my dishes? gefuckd
Monday, September 27, 2010
Emergence and the student learning process and impala rape
The topic of this week's practical is emergent game design or gameplay. Before I continue, it's pertinent that I provide a small insight into the carefully constructed guidelines students follow when immersed in a learning environment. A typical course of action is as follows:
1. Enter room.
2. Select terminal. This selection may be based on having previously used a particular terminal and is therefore habitual, or it may be that students have marked that terminal with a pheromonal discharge, thus alerting other students that this terminal is claimed; approach it your peril.
3. Engage in discussion with nearby students or withdraw all contact. Either is acceptable and in some cases preferable depending on hygiene levels.
4. Log into Facebook. This will occupy anywhere from 10 to 100% of a student's allocated prac time and is a vital component of the learning experience. If they have missed an important event, such as a friend of relative expressing their boredom or the commemoration of a particularly satisfying shit, the student will express hostility, so it's best to allow them adequate face(book) time.
5. Maybe open the practical content, then ignore it, then maybe play a game. This last step is composed of several sub steps that are interchangeable and may or may not occur over the course of a single class (though the ignoring step is considered mandatory).
Right, so there's a short overview of the process. This article will focus on the final step (or substep... dubstep?), 'maybe play a game' and the subsequent and unexpected adherence to the practical content.
Someone mentioned Minecraft. Someone else opened the browser version of Minecraft and the emergent possibilities, er, emerged. Minecraft is effectively a sandbox, sometimes literally, as you destroy then shape the landscape as you see fit. Within the constraints imposed upon the player (the base unit is a block of a fixed size and each structure can be built from these fixed size blocks only), the range of possible outcomes (architecturally at least) is vast.
Within 15 or 20 minutes, houses had been built, caves excavated, mines plundered and impalas raped. Despite that bit about the impalas, it was clear that an opportunity to point out the key role emergence played in an immersive player experience had arrived. Sadly, when the choice to focus attention on either Minecraft or myself had to be made, I didn't stand a chance. Still, I think my point, ignored though it may have been, rang true. Emergence is key to a cult following; provide players with the tools and they will provide the masterworks, ensuring the game you create will live on past relegation to the bargain bin.
That was terribly disjointed but that's what you get (thanks Paramore) when you write an article over a month stretch.
1. Enter room.
2. Select terminal. This selection may be based on having previously used a particular terminal and is therefore habitual, or it may be that students have marked that terminal with a pheromonal discharge, thus alerting other students that this terminal is claimed; approach it your peril.
3. Engage in discussion with nearby students or withdraw all contact. Either is acceptable and in some cases preferable depending on hygiene levels.
4. Log into Facebook. This will occupy anywhere from 10 to 100% of a student's allocated prac time and is a vital component of the learning experience. If they have missed an important event, such as a friend of relative expressing their boredom or the commemoration of a particularly satisfying shit, the student will express hostility, so it's best to allow them adequate face(book) time.
5. Maybe open the practical content, then ignore it, then maybe play a game. This last step is composed of several sub steps that are interchangeable and may or may not occur over the course of a single class (though the ignoring step is considered mandatory).
Right, so there's a short overview of the process. This article will focus on the final step (or substep... dubstep?), 'maybe play a game' and the subsequent and unexpected adherence to the practical content.
Someone mentioned Minecraft. Someone else opened the browser version of Minecraft and the emergent possibilities, er, emerged. Minecraft is effectively a sandbox, sometimes literally, as you destroy then shape the landscape as you see fit. Within the constraints imposed upon the player (the base unit is a block of a fixed size and each structure can be built from these fixed size blocks only), the range of possible outcomes (architecturally at least) is vast.
Within 15 or 20 minutes, houses had been built, caves excavated, mines plundered and impalas raped. Despite that bit about the impalas, it was clear that an opportunity to point out the key role emergence played in an immersive player experience had arrived. Sadly, when the choice to focus attention on either Minecraft or myself had to be made, I didn't stand a chance. Still, I think my point, ignored though it may have been, rang true. Emergence is key to a cult following; provide players with the tools and they will provide the masterworks, ensuring the game you create will live on past relegation to the bargain bin.
That was terribly disjointed but that's what you get (thanks Paramore) when you write an article over a month stretch.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
It's go time! Mandelbaum, Mandelbaum!
Boy have I been slack. Yes! Slack in many ways, have I been. I have forgotten how to type (this is a laborious exercise just now) and I have welcomed any and all distractions from my research. This presentation next week could be a catalyst, a mini deadline, something to fear. Fear is a powerful motivator and I have very little of it. It's not fear of presentation (that's more apprehension as anyone should feel when making an allegedly significant presentation to peers), nor fear of feedback; no, this fear is borne of inactivity. I fear not having done enough, so I can harness this perhaps baseless (though I know I have done, academically speaking, fuck all of late) fear and actually get organized.
First: nail that fucking ethics amendment and get it submitted; if I get it back with changes required then so be it, better to find out than not.
Second: get the student survey finished and use Google's survey tool to implement it.
Third: finalize that research design; even it it proves to be inadequate or in need of revision, at least press on in a direction. Hopefully, any mistakes in the design will be revealed early on and even if they aren't, I should be able to adjust given the imprecise nature of the data I plan to collect.
Fourth: create a presentation. It will include:
Intro - quick revision of the topic and research questions, plus what will be covered in the presentation. Mention honours and what led me to this topic. New question: can the industry in its current state sustain the number of games course students that will graduate this year, next year and beyond
Exploratory study - Queensland trip: education, industry, government (find out what Mark Fludder does again) - ice breaker, getting an impression of the state of education in Queensland as it is now arguably he epicentre of Australian games developement. Research topic was validated by all three participants which was in itself a satisfying outcome.
Literature - Quickly revise literature, emphasis on sparse game dev education specific literature. Briefly touch on topics yet to be explored (note they are non-essential for the data collection phase).
Research design - overview of discussed approaches (qual and quant, type of questions, case studies, 3 case studies, one case study plus interview and surveys, fallback position should case study prove difficult to pursue), current approach, methods to be used (interviews, surveys). Touch on analysis techniques perhaps. Plan to pursue the majority of data collection in January.
Participants - Staff from universities and colleges that offer game development specific courses, be they programming, art or design based (or all 3). Students of said courses. Game developers from both larger companies that produce software for mainstream platforms (console, PC) and smaller, independent developers.
Problems - reiterate lack of game dev ed lit. Issues with case study (accessibility to both students and staff, ensuring I ask the right questions, how to analyse the data once it is acquired, transcribing the audio).
Ethics - submitted a revision of earlier submission.
Current focus - finalizing research design and identifying and contacting prospective participants. How to enhance the collaborative nature of game dev courses (art and programming - comes up in literature frequently). Exploring whether business and marketing subjects should be added to a curriculum, thus equipping students with the skills to start their own small-scale commercial game development ventures. iPhone, digital delivery in general is such that it is now possible for small teams to operate with low overheads and self publish. Mention own indie development project.
Next phase/conclusion - broadly speaking: collect data, revise questions and direction, analyze and interpret findings and hopefully begin writeup of results. Then, return to literature review and explore any new topics or issue to come to light and continue writeup.
Revision of topics discussed
Questions
Motivate me fear, you malefic fiend (P.S. I like the word malefic and have used it three times this past year).
First: nail that fucking ethics amendment and get it submitted; if I get it back with changes required then so be it, better to find out than not.
Second: get the student survey finished and use Google's survey tool to implement it.
Third: finalize that research design; even it it proves to be inadequate or in need of revision, at least press on in a direction. Hopefully, any mistakes in the design will be revealed early on and even if they aren't, I should be able to adjust given the imprecise nature of the data I plan to collect.
Fourth: create a presentation. It will include:
Intro - quick revision of the topic and research questions, plus what will be covered in the presentation. Mention honours and what led me to this topic. New question: can the industry in its current state sustain the number of games course students that will graduate this year, next year and beyond
Exploratory study - Queensland trip: education, industry, government (find out what Mark Fludder does again) - ice breaker, getting an impression of the state of education in Queensland as it is now arguably he epicentre of Australian games developement. Research topic was validated by all three participants which was in itself a satisfying outcome.
Literature - Quickly revise literature, emphasis on sparse game dev education specific literature. Briefly touch on topics yet to be explored (note they are non-essential for the data collection phase).
Research design - overview of discussed approaches (qual and quant, type of questions, case studies, 3 case studies, one case study plus interview and surveys, fallback position should case study prove difficult to pursue), current approach, methods to be used (interviews, surveys). Touch on analysis techniques perhaps. Plan to pursue the majority of data collection in January.
Participants - Staff from universities and colleges that offer game development specific courses, be they programming, art or design based (or all 3). Students of said courses. Game developers from both larger companies that produce software for mainstream platforms (console, PC) and smaller, independent developers.
Problems - reiterate lack of game dev ed lit. Issues with case study (accessibility to both students and staff, ensuring I ask the right questions, how to analyse the data once it is acquired, transcribing the audio).
Ethics - submitted a revision of earlier submission.
Current focus - finalizing research design and identifying and contacting prospective participants. How to enhance the collaborative nature of game dev courses (art and programming - comes up in literature frequently). Exploring whether business and marketing subjects should be added to a curriculum, thus equipping students with the skills to start their own small-scale commercial game development ventures. iPhone, digital delivery in general is such that it is now possible for small teams to operate with low overheads and self publish. Mention own indie development project.
Next phase/conclusion - broadly speaking: collect data, revise questions and direction, analyze and interpret findings and hopefully begin writeup of results. Then, return to literature review and explore any new topics or issue to come to light and continue writeup.
Revision of topics discussed
Questions
Motivate me fear, you malefic fiend (P.S. I like the word malefic and have used it three times this past year).
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Thought for today
Gradually closing in on a workable research design. Questions: will I be able to find a suitable set of participants for my case study? How many interviews will I need to conduct and will it need to be done longitudinally? I must organize a suitable analysis method but that can probably wait until I have finalized the research design. I have to ensure that all the data that I plan to collect is going to be of use.
A single case study comprised of interviews only and supported by other interviews and surveys should hopefully address the relationship issue. Interviews and surveys will hopefully solve the course structure and content issue. I need to determine whether to acquire the data that addresses each research question separately or all at once. All at once is probably feasible.
G'night everybody!
A single case study comprised of interviews only and supported by other interviews and surveys should hopefully address the relationship issue. Interviews and surveys will hopefully solve the course structure and content issue. I need to determine whether to acquire the data that addresses each research question separately or all at once. All at once is probably feasible.
G'night everybody!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Failed attempt number -124
You sit and you sit and you sit some more and then your buttocks go numb and by that point you are considering giving it all away because with all the sitting and numb buttocks and general inactivity that causes such a condition, you could surely be spending your time more fruitfully.
You finally stand and are immediately liberated, free of the oppressive shackles that I sometimes wear when I am sitting down for extended periods and wish to maintain stability. With blistering speed, I gradually rise to my full height and survey my surroundings. "Where the fuck is my dartboard" I'll ask. It's that kind of absurd, oddly placed and misleading query that typically annoys the shit out of reasonable people. Not only do I have no dartboard, if I did have one I doubt it's whereabouts would concern me. It could be in the loo, the lounge or the laboratory where I conduct all my dartboard related experiments for all I fucking care. Fuck! There's a pungent aroma wafting from under the lab door that is the cause of this rather unsavoury taste in my mouth (it's worth noting that the general you became the specific I at some point in this paragraph. There, roughly. I'm pointing at it).
I am shackled in an entirely figurative sense as well, in that I can't seem to escape this particular style of writing. I can loop around it, make simple words about stuff and get really basic and not do much words but ultimately I return to an unnecessarily verbose, expansively overwritten and excessively inflitistimant writing style, crueling any chance I have of escape. It isn't especially amusing and again serves only to annoy people. This cancerous literary dribble marks me with both an avuncular tone and lecherous grin, warming me with familiarity whilst feeling me up a bit. It's sick you know. This incestuously prosey bastard's days are numbered though. Simplicity in all things is the new motto and I plan to recite it to anyone and everyone who so much as looks vaguely in my direction or thinks about gingers.
You finally stand and are immediately liberated, free of the oppressive shackles that I sometimes wear when I am sitting down for extended periods and wish to maintain stability. With blistering speed, I gradually rise to my full height and survey my surroundings. "Where the fuck is my dartboard" I'll ask. It's that kind of absurd, oddly placed and misleading query that typically annoys the shit out of reasonable people. Not only do I have no dartboard, if I did have one I doubt it's whereabouts would concern me. It could be in the loo, the lounge or the laboratory where I conduct all my dartboard related experiments for all I fucking care. Fuck! There's a pungent aroma wafting from under the lab door that is the cause of this rather unsavoury taste in my mouth (it's worth noting that the general you became the specific I at some point in this paragraph. There, roughly. I'm pointing at it).
I am shackled in an entirely figurative sense as well, in that I can't seem to escape this particular style of writing. I can loop around it, make simple words about stuff and get really basic and not do much words but ultimately I return to an unnecessarily verbose, expansively overwritten and excessively inflitistimant writing style, crueling any chance I have of escape. It isn't especially amusing and again serves only to annoy people. This cancerous literary dribble marks me with both an avuncular tone and lecherous grin, warming me with familiarity whilst feeling me up a bit. It's sick you know. This incestuously prosey bastard's days are numbered though. Simplicity in all things is the new motto and I plan to recite it to anyone and everyone who so much as looks vaguely in my direction or thinks about gingers.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Thoughts for today
Today, then. Seems like the way to go is to conduct a single case study that is embedded as opposed to holistic. This case study will allow me to analyze the nature and practical going on of a functioning relationship between a developer and a uni/college. This will consist of interviews at the top level, surveys at the employee and student level and hopefully access to documents from the educators about student completion, internship placements and so on. I'm not sure if there will be any place for observation; perhaps in aid of the educational part I might be privy to observing meetings between the two groups, though this seems unlikely. I still need to consider whether this single case study of the relationship between the two groups is appropriate or whether a multiple case study of companies and educators separately is a better option. That will become apparent following some deeper thought on exactly how to answer the 'how' question (I think sub questions may be in order or at least a refinement of the 'how' question).
I will still conduct surveys of students and devs (and possibly educators) beyond the case study/s, but I need to find a way to link those quantitative results to the case study/s so one supports the other.
I will still conduct surveys of students and devs (and possibly educators) beyond the case study/s, but I need to find a way to link those quantitative results to the case study/s so one supports the other.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
A precocious cephalapod invokes Nostradamus and and I'm left wondering what it all means. At least the fucking vuvuzelas have been laid to rest.
Dear Diary. I completely forgot about the World Cup until 9am that morning and was not especially bothered about that. I am as I type fighting the urge to wander off and look at time wasting websites; this leads me to consider how the prevalence of procrastination has increased in line with a rise in time wasting culture. There are entire online networks dedicated to light distractions CASE IN POINT: I just spent 5 minutes looking at Fail Blog. Fuck!
I fear that all this pop culture knowledge and meme reference that I am gradually gathering will only be of use to me when spending time on the very forums and sites that provided the material in the first place. I need structure, yet again. I will try and write a short blog each night summarizing my day, largely from a research perspective and with the occasional sprinkling of faggotry for good measure (can't be too serious about this stuff).
The internet is a dangerous place and plays host to many temptations and yet more distractions; I must fight hard to continue my vitally important work of some sort, probably.
Everything's changed; I'm looking out for my future... something you would never understand you dirty, dirty, dirty Jew diary. Just kidding, just kidding.
Dear Diary. I completely forgot about the World Cup until 9am that morning and was not especially bothered about that. I am as I type fighting the urge to wander off and look at time wasting websites; this leads me to consider how the prevalence of procrastination has increased in line with a rise in time wasting culture. There are entire online networks dedicated to light distractions CASE IN POINT: I just spent 5 minutes looking at Fail Blog. Fuck!
I fear that all this pop culture knowledge and meme reference that I am gradually gathering will only be of use to me when spending time on the very forums and sites that provided the material in the first place. I need structure, yet again. I will try and write a short blog each night summarizing my day, largely from a research perspective and with the occasional sprinkling of faggotry for good measure (can't be too serious about this stuff).
The internet is a dangerous place and plays host to many temptations and yet more distractions; I must fight hard to continue my vitally important work of some sort, probably.
Everything's changed; I'm looking out for my future... something you would never understand you dirty, dirty, dirty Jew diary. Just kidding, just kidding.
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