Sunday 3 July 2011

Interview Information Sheet

INFORMATION SHEET FOR PARTICIPANTS

REC Reference Number: KCL/10-11_728

YOU WILL BE GIVEN A COPY OF THIS INFORMATION SHEET

A study of Consumer Liberation potential in World of Warcraft

We would like to invite you to participate in this postgraduate research project.  You should only participate if you want to; choosing not to take part will not disadvantage you in any way. Before you decide whether you want to take part, it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what your participation will involve.  Please take time to read the following information carefully and discuss it with others if you wish.  Ask us if there is anything that is not clear or if you would like more information.

This consumer behaviour research aims to examine how people can be freed from the constraints of the market logic in a videogame environment and how much freedom they can get over their construction of avatars in the game world. Through studying this, we intend to understand whether and how consumers can improve the market system when they are within it.

We are inviting people who are playing or used to play the videogame World of Warcraft to participate this study. For your protection we must not allow you to participate if you are children or belong to any other vulnerable groups. We will ask you to complete a 40-minute on-line interview on the topic of liberatory activities in World of Warcraft wherever you feel convenient to do this when you have time. The interview will be recorded, subject to your permission. Recording of interviews will be deleted upon transcription. If you agree to take part you will be asked whether you are happy to be contacted after the interview if any further questions arise from the interview. This contact will be through email and therefore you will be asked to provide the email address if you are happy to do so.

Responses collected will form the basis of our research project and might be put into the final written report, so there might be a need for disclosure of the information covered in the interview to a third party. If you volunteer to participate, we will offer you 500 WOW gold as a reward through the mail system or trading directly in the game. 

All research findings reported will be on an anonymous basis and will thus not be associated with you unless you wish to be identified. We will store the information collected safely and separate the data for research with your email address, your name and your gaming name. Only my supervisor and I can get access to all of the information.

It is up to you to decide whether to take part or not.  If you decide to take part you are still free to withdraw at any time and without giving a reason. In addition to withdrawing yourself from the study, you may also withdraw any data/information you have already provided up until it is transcribed for use in the final report on 17th August 2011. A decision to withdraw at any time, or a decision not to take part, will not affect the standard of care you receive. If you do decide to take part you will be given this information sheet to keep and be asked to sign a consent form using electronic signature. The electronic signature could be the typing of your name or in a more secure form if you wish.

If this study has harmed you in any way you can contact King's College London using the details below for further advice and information:

Researcher: Qiaoshen WU, MSc International Marketing, Management Department, King’s College London
Supervisor: Gretchen Larsen, Supervisor, Management Department, King’s College London  


No comments:

Post a Comment