To: Rebecca Agosta

From: Gayth Munther

Comment [R1]: Excellent formatting. My only

note is to bold these section titles. Memos are
meant to be read quickly and the bolded section
titles allow the reader to easily locate information.

Date: October 3, 2014

Subject of Inquiry: Gamer as an affinity identity
Initial Inquiry Idea:
I plan to research gamer as an affinity identity. I find it very interesting, as I consider myself a
gamer who has just associated that identity with myself. I already know a lot about the subject; I
know that gamers are divided into two groups: a hardcore and a casual group. Each having has
very different experiences associated with gaming in general. I know that there are many genres
of games that appeal to different kinds of people. Technology and its progression haves
significantly impacted how games are perceived by our society. I also know that online gaming
is beginning to change the image of a gamer. Nevertheless I am new to the medium and so I want
to look at the history behind that identity. I wonder about how games were first developed and
how the first people to identify with games felt. How did the public react to the new identity?
What stereotypes were associated with gamers? And why? I also want to investigate the
demographics of the people who purchased and played games on a regular basis in the past and
compare that to the demographics of today. Shared experiences are what gives affinity identities
their power so I want to research the shared experiences of gamers and how these experiences
differ across time; the games played today are very different than what the games were in the
past. And fFinally I wonder about the future of gaming and how that impacts the identity.
Methods:
I am going to look up reports of demographics from different time periods (1970s, 1980s)
and compare each time period to the others and see how that has affected the image of the
identity. I am going to see if there is any correlation between different ethnic groups, genders,
ages, and, gamers. Researching forums and gaming communities is going to be another method
to gain more knowledge about the people who identify themselves as gamers. Reputable online
sources are also another way to acquire information and data such as articles, news reports and
events.
Questions:
1. How did the image of a gamer changed over time as an identity?
a. What are the demographics of the people who played games?
b. What was the image of a gamer in the past? Now?
c. What are the stereotypes of gamers in the past? Now?
d. What changes in society led to these alterations?
e. What changes in technology led to these alterations?
2. What kind of practices and experiences make someone a gamer?
a. What were the practices in the past? Now?
b. What are the different subgroups of gamers?
c. How do the subgroups see other subgroups?
d. What do subgroups have in common?

Comment [R2]: I like that you are positioning it

as an identity-related topic from the beginning. The
reader/research advisor can already see you
positioning it within a topic from the class.
Comment [R3]: Since there are two things here
technology AND progression you need a plural
verb tense.
Comment [R4]: yes
Comment [R5]: something to consider is that
games have existed for a long time but tech
games are a new way of experiencing gaming within
recent history. Im guessing here you just mean tech
games rather than games in general.
Comment [R6]: There have been many instances
lately that have reminded me of your topic. A few of
my colleagues last week were talking about the
games they were into. Theyveplayed a variety of
complicated games. It made me think about how
this was expanding my idea of who a gamer is and
how stereotypes or stigmas are changing.
Comment [R7]: Excellent. You have a very clear
vision of what you want to discover and why. You
present the information in a way that shows that
you understand theres a complexity and history to
it.
Comment [R8]: Hm, are these the markers that
you are considering as demographics?
Comment [R9]: Do you know specific forums to
go to? If so, name those.
Comment [R10]: So it sounds like you are
mostly interested in looking at things that already
exist in the world rather than
interviewing/surveying.
Comment [R11]: At various points in time
Comment [R12]: Excellent questions
Comment [R13]: I think you have a lot here, but
I also think its easier to cut some things off if you
end up having too much research than struggling to
find ways of inquiring into a topic.
I am very impressed with this proposal. It
communicates your vision with a confident voice.
You understand the need to explain and describe
the direction you are going in and why you are
doing that.
Excellent work.

e. How does online gaming affect how gamers see one another?