Using games as an unobtrusive method
in socio-legal research
Dr Joanna Barwick
Research Associate
Law in Children’s Lives
School of Law
[email protected]
www.le.ac.uk
Why use gaming as a research tool?
• Children ‘alienated’ by traditional research methods
• An ‘unobtrusive method’ of ‘contrived observation’...
• 5.9m (99%) of 8-15 year olds play games, playing on
average 20 hours per week (UKIE 2015)
• 60% of 6-11 year olds use tablets each
week (Ofcom 2014)
Early Challenges
• Equipment: choosing (an in-budget) tablet and
headset with microphone
...the 2-in-1 audio jack question...
• Communicating with an
external company
• Access to schools to work with
focus group children
Game design: meet Lex...
• Lex is a naive alien interested in children’s lives
• Originally suggested by Young Researchers at NCB
• Worked with children to develop the character
Game design: fictional world
Game design: narrative
• Screenshot of school
Game design: question format
Game design: question format
Game rewards: Building an alien pet
Pilot study
March 2015
1 x Year 4 class = 35 children
1 x Year 5 class = 31 children
44% of children’s
favourite part was
speaking into the tablet
35% of children thought
the game could have
been longer
Lessons learnt – Lost in translation
What is happening in this
scene?
Lessons learnt – Lost in…the excitement
Where do we go from here?
• Main phase:
- 8 partner primary schools across city and county
- Working with children in Years 4 & 5 (8-10 year olds)
- Approximately 800 children
• ‘Gamification’ = the future for research?
Thank you for your interest in
Law in Children’s Lives
For more information, please email me:
[email protected]
or follow us on Twitter:
@LICL_Lex