Ethnographic Data Collection - Research Paper Example

Task: Ethnography Introduction Ethnography in essence of magnificence; it symbolizes how a particular group of individuals live. This entails; a certain belief system, their creation, as well as practiced culture over time while illustrating how they may have readjusted to new developments in society. It thus enables us tenable to familiarize with the people while scrutinizing them in order to file an extensive and authentic report on them. While doing so one is likely to establishes friendships as well useful contacts with the locals, leading to the formation of ordinary life which gets rooted in their practiced cultures owing to regular encounter with thus enabling one to learn how to communicate with them at a personal levels (Denzin). At a personal level I needed the help of trusted informants who were knowledgeable or well located to earnest information. This was of course not going to be achieved easily but over a certain period of time. It’s hard to give a specific time frame within which the whole work is to be done but depended on how fast one can grasp such information. On a normal scale, a year or two would be good. It’s also depends on how complex some societies are owing to cultural influence from the natives under study. While carrying out a fieldwork activity it’s important to document one experience at the end of the study. This is because one is likely to experience cultural shock; it has the ability to enhance ones understanding though. Strange cultural practices such as eating habits, trends and other behavioral patterns witnessed is no longer perceived the same way. My experience has helped me to quickly identify such occurrences thus making precise judgment. In order to achieve it it requires keen observation as well as the ability to conjure up accurate statistics within the shortest time possible. This has served as an added advantage to me basically because it has encouraged me to learn native cultures as well as language in the shortest time possible. At present ethnographic assembling and research approaches have gone beyond cultural anthropology. They now include studies on composition where students can be asked to conduct short-term observations on groups and write an ethnography using their observations. Students are thus expected to participate, analyze, observe, reflect, rethink, write and describe cultures, their members, and several other own involvements with them. Doing ethnographic data collection involves primary research that includes long-term study of the observed culture as well as immersion. Among the most basic methods of those sort of research include:- • Secondary Data Analysis • Fieldwork with Observation/Participant Observation • Informal and Semi-Structured Interviews’ Secondary data analysis include Secondary sources, or existing data about a culture already analyzed by a researcher, it’s important for generating ideas and questions to explore further in your research. These can include scholarly publications, statistical data, records, etc. Fieldwork is the essential portion of ethnography that comprises primary research. The ethnographer spends an extended period in and among the observed group, learning their routines and customs. Ideally, the role of the researcher is that of both an observer and a participant/observer (McGraw). While in my field I usually listen and watch how members among different cultures interact. This alone can’t however guarantee much; in order to realize the expectation participation is of the essence and could as well help in facilitating cultural exchange among different societies. Experience thus serves as the best teacher in this regard and can only be earned over time through close interaction. It has in my own opinion helped me in identifying critical aspects on cultural issue while trying to identify why and how they came into being. While trying to put this into account one has to select an area of scope to carry out his study. The starting ought to be clearly introduce the general facts about the group of people under study. The title chosen then clearly states the purpose of the research (Denzin). The key information is found in the ethnography. The body paragraphs should be structured in such a way that they each one provide information supporting the title and main purpose of the essay. Conducting interviews with the participants of the culture is a vital way of gathering information for the researcher. Carrying out interviews informally is a great approach. More structured interviews with pre-determined questions is also viable. The demands of one’s assignment, as well as the period set determine what kind of interviews one will carry. Auto Ethnography I adopted ethnography its ability to offer personal touch to a ethnographic research basically because it revealed ones personal experience in an autobiographic form but in a wider perspective in order to explain cultural experience. One thus immerses himself in the whole work so as to communicate his thoughts and emotional feelings about the findings. It is a process that enables him to have deep reflections and thoughtful insights about his life and the world at large. One can undergo a self discovery process or heal from a disturbing ordeal through auto ethnography as it is the expression of the deepest of feelings concerning an experience, in this case, an ethnographic research. Auto ethnography is a narration of personal accounts in relation to historical and political surroundings and positioning of self. Later we shall see the different methods of putting all the information together to create a concrete document. Auto ethnography is in a better position to illuminate understanding in a greater way than other primitive forms of research. Just like it is easier to know who someone really is by reading their diary as compared to reading about them in a newspaper or a magazine. There is a stressed importance of using ‘i’ in a piece of auto ethnography. The researcher is regarded as the eye of the whole work. The accent he uses is therefore conceptualized to bring out his raw intention of communication. It is important that the writer considers applying exquisite dialogue in his work, as well as create a well developed plot in order to relay his message effectively or sufficiently. Failure to this, his work will be pretty hard to appreciate. It is also vital to note that auto ethnography is not merely a work of self representation. It is a collective manifestation of mixed ideas from both large and small cultures that are dedicated to showcasing one a sense of belonging and that of the new surroundings he finds himself in. It is virtually a composition of both the components of a biography and ethnography, hence treated as a process as well as a product. In piecing up a biography, one may choose to document past thoughts and experiences. He may not have lived through them himself but he may have this information through the interviews carried out throughout the research process, and other methods of collecting information such as reading cultural texts, if there are any, photographs, recordings and even journals, which would help him remember what he needs at a particular point in time. Ethnography deals more with the cultural aspect of a community or a particular society. It may constitute their eating habits, social leadership, and spiritual organization among others. The major aim is usually to shed more light on a particular people or to help people from that community as well as outsiders to understand more about that culture. This is of course done by living with the natives in this community, adapting their way of life in depth and working hard enough for them to feel like you are one of them as that will enable you, to gain their confidence. It is more technically known as participant observation (Lane). My gaming experience Having grown from a humble background up shores of Indian ocean along the Eastern coastline Africa I learned more from my personal experience. My countrymen practiced fishing as a way of life and would generally lay their nets at dusk in anticipation of a good catch after a few days. This went on for decades and has carried on to date. Apart from such activities we also engaged in games as a way of recreation with the popular draft finding its ways among the locals. The Swahili culture derived much of the practice from the Arabs some of whom graced the coastline while engaging in trade. As a kid growing up at the coastline a lot of games were traditional oriented and had been inherited from the past; life was so simple. This has been carried on today with the incorporation of technology which has to a great extent affected how we interact. While most of these games were communal in nature today one can carry such activities without the input of the entire society. Thus the need for lots of investment in new technological knowhow; my experience was however drastic owing to the new age catching up as fast as we welcomed a new revolution. It is being passed on to the new generation most of whom are technologically survey with ease. In my personal experience I had employ feature such as interviews to aid in gaining critical knowledge on the ground the knowledgeable informants of the ethnic group itself. Auto ethnography uses both of these to illuminate the cultural identity of a community. However, the tricky part is where many researchers work on auto ethnography score poorly in giving out a work that does not seem like a personal story. One is supposed to use the correct phrases and sentence structures to create the impression that as much as it’s a ‘personal story’, it is actually an auto ethnographic account that seeks to present a particular message about the culture under study. If the work is solely comprised of personal perspectives of the experiences encountered, then the motive will be circled only around the individual, leaving the important bit locked out. While developing an auto-ethnography, a researcher must be careful enough to employ respectful diction throughout his work. This is to avoid wrong impressions, especially to the insiders of the culture he is dealing with. The way a culture is portrayed is very sensitive even if it contains bits of a primitive nature. While freedom of expression is certainly practiced here, one is advised to be more human in his presentation, and choose the best sentence formation that would be considerate on everyone who comes across that work. This could also be for the purpose of maintaining a reputation. Good ethics makes learning a more enjoyable course, where emotions are controlled and understanding is utmost. An auto ethnographer must be sure that his work is truthful and that there is little or no assumption in it. It must pass the credibility test and the information contained in it reliable. Accountability is key to success in life all over. World of Warcraft World of Wrcraft We all have an urge to feel powerful in life. It’s natural for human beings. And even though the world is full of bad people, there are those who are actually good souls within them, only that they have given in to the weakness of the flesh. A lone man raiding a castle sure sounds strange. It’s unheard of, even from the greatest accounts of conquest. But technology has changed things. Today, it’s actually possible to be in a casino right inside your bedroom, and win money, and life continues. Such is the magic that online gaming presents to us that we can have lots of fun without much hustle. Of course the hazards are real, like getting duped by some bad people who pleasure in the business of harming others for their own selfish gains. You can fall just to about anything on the internet. So we can almost say that gaming online is a risk. But what would life be without taking risks anyway. However, we should be careful not to fall into the allure of addiction as it literally steals our life from us. School kids and college students, who carry the bulk of online game players, fluctuation in studies and a poor social life, are one of the dangers one is likely to find themselves trading in (Bochner). The idea behind online gaming is nevertheless for recreational purposes. It should not be the major priority running and ruining our tender lives. So while you enjoy yourself out there, kindly keep in mind that you ought to be vigilant about how your gaming affects you. Please do not be ignorant at all. ‘Sieger Online Game’ is among the most enjoyable online games you will ever have to play. I like the fact that the basic fundamentals of life have to be applied in order to emerge victorious, that the player must be witty, observant, patient, persistent, and smart. Well, these rules virtually apply with all the games you have to play, including the physical ones, but this one does not press you when it comes to period usage. You can take all your time trying to figure out what move you want to make next and even think about what impact you think it’s going to make in regard to you earning maximum mileage. Sieger Level Pack is a game in which you, as the siege commander, are challenged to knock down the castle and kill all the people found inside it (McGraw). This should be done by using the least shots possible while aiming at making utmost destruction. The player is required to detect the best positions which are vulnerable to making the most damage to the castle. Points are earned according to the shots you use. The fewer shots you use, the more points you gain. If you make more shots yet make less destruction, there is a high chance of you bowing out of the game prematurely. Be mean with your shooting, extremely mean. Apply a little boldness and you will get there. To achieve maximum destruction, you ought to aim at smashing the weakest points of the supporting blocks that would bring the castle down. Note that the intention of playing the game is to wipe out all the castle defenders and save the hostages. The graphics of the game, well, seem like they are from yester century. The fun of it however, comes from the demolition of the castles and watching the guards succumbing to the bricks and pillars. What intrigues me most about this game is its simplicity. The values it can instill in the player are appealing. One learns to be patient and calculative because your moves determine how everything turns out. There is no hurry in how one shoots at the castle even though one would really have been fast in real life if it’s a matter of saving some hostages. Nevertheless, brains are needed (Werner). One may not achieve the desired progress while in a hasty in move. The beauty of watching the castle crumble down is the joy of the game, and of course watching your points rising up fast like the numbers in a casino teller machine. Bingo! The pillars will come down according to the weak points you will have hit. So a lot of mathematics has to be applied. You can try out on the screen how you think your shot is going to impact the building. Remember, you have to be smart. It’s a very simple game which needs a lot of thinking. You are advised to take your time. Your weaponry constitutes your sling shot and the heavy stones and pillars that crumble down. Your greatest hope is that each little particle that comes down hits on any of the guards standing. It’s not just about watching the walls falling apart (Ellis). The heavier the hit, the more points you also earn and the easier your enemies die thus you have to be smart. If we compare the hardness of bending a metal from that of bending rubber, it certainly takes much lesser time to bend the latter than the former. Such is the case as in a building. No wonder builders have to take stringent measures to ensure that a building as a strong foundation or basement. Different materials are easier to break apart than others. In the sieger online game, wood will break more easily than stone. It’s quite practical though. So it’s advisable to aim at a wood than a stone as the former will splinter faster, hence forcing the stone above it to make a dangerous movement that would end up hunting down your enemies. Well, the music in the background keeps you entertained as you keep glued onto the screen. Tension rises and falls as you shoot, wanting to make the most out of every try. Remember that every shot counts and just to remind you, the fewer number of times you shoot, the more you gain, and that of course will have to mean that you are shooting something and earning points while making destruction. It’s just using few shots. You aren’t given any manual in the game itself so for those who do not get the opportunity to read any sort of preview anywhere, they learn while playing (Werner). Your courage will be tested. How much you keep trying after each time of failure will determine how far deep into the levels you are destined to reach. Most people give up in the early stages of the game the moment they are constantly unable to pass certain level. Courage is from within. Another important idea is that your mission is to rescue the hostages trapped in the castles. Sometimes you may get trigger happy and shoot or kill the people you are supposed to be saving. Tread carefully. Keep at the back of your mind that if you shoot or kill any hostage, the game will be over for you. In real life, a rescue mission might involve the death of some of the people being rescued, but not in sieger. I keep insisting this, be smart! Everything might seem a little easy for you but it actually is not. I have not pointed out that there are a consigned number of shots that you can use at a certain level, hence the idea of gaining points with the lesser shots you make. Aim at clinching the gold medal in every level. Your mode of attack should be centered in real methods that can be applied on the ground if you were to be placed in a real life situation. Think of it that way. Everything depends on the state of mind. See yourself in the battle. Think hard, as hard as you can, for that matter, in order to excel in your mission. The king depends on you. Actually almost everyone does. That points to the hostages. You would not want to see them killed, would you? Show your boldness then! Believe in yourself, that however hard it is going to be, you must deliver your friends from bondage. You would do your best if it was real, right? That is the way to go. It is just how you can win a level and advance. When you play the sieger level pack, you shall encounter new weapons. That includes bombs, triple-shot attacks and even moving cars. It does not have much difference from the original game as the mission still stands. If you enjoyed the first game, then this one will offer you quite the same feeling. There is thrill in winning a level. You can take a five minute celebration. Goes with all forms of scores in all games, right? Each time you use a sling shot, be prudent to count so that you do not stand the risk of going out of shots without your knowledge. Each game needs practice. There is no way you can expect to do well by your first try. Do not give up if you find yourself failing to score much in your initial stages. Keep trying until you improve. Acquaint yourself with the necessary tricks that you can use to achieve the maximum points next time (McGraw). You might actually discover something that no one ever has and that could be your secret weapon, so find your own way of playing it. Find out the highest scores that have been made by other players and gauge yourself from that. You can only know your speed of improvement if you compare yourself with others. That is how we learn best. It may take long for you to be a great pro depending on your ability and capability to grasp things fast, but something good with this game is that you grow strong with each challenge that you face. So, you do not really lose as opposed to what you might think when you fail. There exist 40 puzzles in this game which you can translate into levels. It is upon you on how you chose to play as you have the power even to use the sling shot catapult in the very last level. There are three distinctive medals which you are able to earn i.e. Clear, Decisive and Brilliant Victory, depending on your percentage of destruction and the number of casualties you will have made as shown on your screen as you progress in the battle. Am sure you have heard about looting. Well, you have the opportunity to loot each castle by hitting the treasure chest. That is however not your major goal of the day (Fetterman). It is one of those things we do for pleasure. The level editor gives you the opportunity to make and share your own custom levels. Each level has its own unique complexity. Do not think that the trick that worked for one will work for another. It is up to you to develop your strategies right in order to achieve maximum points with the fewest shots. In conclusion, sieger is a great game. I would recommend it to everyone who has a passion for online gaming. Ensure that your internet connection is speedy enough so that you may have a smooth sail while playing it. You just need to grasp most of the tips stated in the above text and you shall be good to go. The learning process is gradual. Go step by step and see yourself managing to reach top levels. You press or click the mouse to fire. That is all you have got to do. Enjoy yourself! World of Warcraft World of Warcraft is a game in which you, as the siege commander, are challenged to knock down the castle and kill all the people inside it. This should be done by using the least shots possible while aiming at making utmost destruction. Points are earned according to the shots you use. The fewer shots you use, the more points you gain. To achieve maximum destruction, you ought to aim at smashing the weakest points of the supporting blocks that would bring the castle down. The intention of playing the game is to wipe out all the castle defenders and save the hostages. There are 40 cleverly developed physic driven puzzles. You can even operate the ‘sling shot’ catapult in the last level. The king depends on you! You can earn one of the three medals (Clear, Decisive and Brilliant Victory) depending on your percentage of destruction and the number of casualties which is shown on your screen as you progress in the battle. You can also loot each castle by hitting the treasure chest. The level editor allows you to create and share your own custom levels. How smartly you shoot at the walls of the castle will determine how much destruction you shall make as well as the number of casualties who shall be taken down. So carefully choose your spots. Each level has its own complexity, so it’s up to you to develop your strategies right in order to achieve maximum points with the fewest shots. Controls Point a castle block and click to fire. Customize Your Ride There was a show on MTV that used to be called “Pimp My Ride” that was hosted by a Hip-hop artiste, where car owners would give up their cars to be modified into larger and better ones according to their desire. This game is the exact replica of the idea. You are given a car and the options of modification or transformation. These options include: rims, color, height, hoods, wheel size, lights, exhaust, details, neons, tints, roll cages, interiors, coil-overs, front lip, side skirt, back skirt, spoilers, and WBK. The cars include: Honda CIVIC, Chevrolet CAVALIER, Subaru WRX, and Acura RSX. Mitsubishi ECLIPSE, Honda CRX, Acura INTEGERA, and Escalade. It’s a game that will make sense to car fanatics and the target players are mainly boys who are probably in their teens or early twenties. Creativity is called for as one is able to design a certain car to look like how they have thought it in their mind. The game has no time limits, so you can take all the time you want to try out how the features available will transform the car you are dealing with. The game comes in different versions. The modification features keep advancing with newer versions to give the player a captivating experience. Good thing about it is that the creativity you have to apply is limitless. One car cannot come out to look like another. So you will have fun while feeling powerful at your choice of car and how you have modified it. Controls The mouse is used to play this game. Effing Worms 2 Are you a fun of horror movies? Make sure you can handle one before deciding to play Effing worms 2. A recipe for wreaking havoc, the worm eats anything with its sharp teeth like those of a shark under water. Effing Games presents to you the second version of Effing worms, a bloody affair that needs nerve. The worm is situated underground. Being the controller of the game, you are supposed to time any edible object that passes o the surface of the ground and jump to grab it. Yes, and that includes humans, like it happens in the horror movies. Gravity affects you when not underground, building momentum and using your wings to ‘swoop’ up and down can keep you aloft for longer (McGraw). The more you eat, the higher your chances of survival. The hunger meter situated at the bottom of the screen will indicate to you your level of hunger. The number of enemies that you have to take is also indicated for you so the goal is to take out as many of them as you possibly can so as to achieve maximum points. After eating a certain number of enemies, an upgrade will be unlocked, giving you the choice of two modifications to your apparent beasts. Your enemies increase with your advancement in the game and the deeper you go the more stubborn and more powerful they become. You are your own survival. It’s up to you to know if you are fit enough. Down there, there are a few lizards which shall be passing you. You can munch them just to maintain your health. It’s one of those games that you just play for fun as there is no real goal other than eating up your enemies which can get boring if overdone. Controls Use [WASD] or [arrow] keys to steer your worm left and right, as well as to speed up or slow down. Ray Part 1 We all have things in life which we can fight for so passionately, and money can be one of them. Go on a mission to save a girl for some money, snipe down people and do the dirty work. Easy? No, that should be the last thing in your mind. The sort of ‘Mission Impossible’ kind of setting is what this game presents you with. Ray is a hitman, your local street thug. You choose which scene you want to game in. They include: the bum, the punks, the stalker, home, interrogation, the mission, his life, entry, road kill, the chopper, the bike and the end. It is a movie within a game. You choose an action then sit to watch what it culminates to after weighing your options. The way you end up is your fault, whether in a good or a bad place. Some scenes throughout the movie will give you a choice. But in some places, the choice you pick will give you a number. When the movie/game ends, the numbers will add up and whatever they amount to determines your rank. It’s hard to see every scene through on one viewing of the movie. You might actually miss seeing over 40 extra scenes if you do not view it for more than 4 or 5 times. The funny thing about the game is that when you die, the game is not over. You are taken back to the start of the stage at which you are in so you can start all over. Controls Use mouse to choose your option. Red Beard Mr. Red Beard is a pirate, coined from his name. Pirates are generally known to have a funny beard. But from his activities depicted here, he may not be as experienced as some of the big names of pirates we have heard before. Red, the pirate in this game is not operating a ship that is sailing on an ocean. He is merely on a gold hunt, which actually constitutes of collecting blobs of other colors along the way. The blobs collected act like keys to activate the corresponding special platforms you need to jump on, so you ought to collect the most that you can. The sign at the beginning tells you how many of each you need to get in order to progress to the next level (Atkinson). It may appear simple at the beginning but gets technical as you indulge more into as the levels of skill and puzzle elements increase and not just because the steel-drum soundtrack gradually sends you insane. You have to have the nerve to succeed here. It has been said to be an addictive game, but adventurous is one perfect word that describes it. It will be more enjoyable to you if you have a notch for the outdoors. Kids or people who love indoor stuff may not even get the concept of the game. Good thing about it is that it is not complex to play. It’s easy to grasp. The rest of it will go according to your wit, just like in other games. Game controls Left and right arrows to move left or right respectively Up and down arrows to scroll up. Space to jump. Work Cited Atkinson, Paul. Ethnography: Principles in Practice. New York: Taylor & Francis, 2007. Bochner, Arthur. Ethnographically Speaking: Auto-Ethnography, Literature, and Aesthetics. New York: Rowman Atlamira, 2002. Denzin, Norman. Interpretive Ethnography: Ethnographic Practices for the 21st Century. New York: Sage Publications, 1996. Ellis, Carolyn. The Ethnographic I: A Methodological Novel About Auto-Ethnography . New York: Rowman Atlamira, 2004. Fetterman, David. Ethnography: Step-by-Step. New York: Sage Publications, 2009. Lane, Melanie. Auto-Ethnography: My Journey from Education to Educator-Activist. New York: ProQuest Publishers, 2008. McGraw, Gary. Exploiting Online Games: Cheating Massively Distributed Systems. Michigan: University of Michigan, 2007. Werner, Christian. Sieger Design: Strategies for Success. Michigan, 2007. Read More