Tomorrow I will be heading to the London Gaming Market for a real test on my project. The timing of this market is really perfect, it’s a great opportunity to connect with gamers at this event. I’ve bought a ticket and I’m ready to go.
What I’m Doing
I’ve set up an intervention designed as an interactive board where gamers can visually map out and discuss their social comfort levels in online versus offline social settings. It’s straightforward: they’ll place stickers on a dual scale to visually represent their comfort levels in online versus face-to-face social interactions. Below the scale section, participants can write about their perceptions of their personality shifts between online and offline settings using different colored post-it notes. I’m curious to see if this activity will prompt them into a real-time reflection among the participants. Additionally, I will ask participants to note down if they know anyone, friends or family who have different personalities online and offline. This can help me measure if I’m actually reaching my target audience or if the participants themselves might not be the right fit but know someone who is.
Finally, I will introduce them to the concept of tabletop games as therapy. I’ll be asking if they’ve thought about using these games to work on their face-to-face social skills and if they’re interested and try to gauge their interest. I would like to check with them to see if they have gave thought about their gap in online social comfort vs offline social comfort, and how they feel now that they are made more aware of it, and whether they were interested in bridging that gap, transferring that online confidence offline.
Potential Challenges
I’m a bit worried about the gamers I’m hoping to engage will actually want to participate. What if the ones who really struggle with face-to-face social interactions don’t feel comfortable engaging with me? This will potentially skew the results and impact on the efficacy of the intervention. With this in mind, I’ve included options for participants to discuss their observations of their friends or family that might fit this profile. I hope this can widen my scope and also embed a layer of indirect participation that could inform the intervention’s effectiveness.
Final Words
This intervention is not meant to be just a way to gather data, it is fundamentally about sparking self-awareness and reflection among gamers regarding their social capabilities. It’s designed to let people recognize that the social skills they are comfortable with online are actually transferable and can enrich their real-world interactions too. My goal is also to inform them about therapeutic gaming options, offering a nudge in the right direction to bridge their online confidence with offline social interactions. I’m excited, but honestly I am also very nervous.