First, I would like to thank everybody involved for their participation and support during the course of the project. My project was completed exactly one month ago, when I submitted the digital and physical copies to my advisors. Since then, I graduated and earned an "A" in the course. Next, some minor corrections were made, notably with citation style and encoding my screen names to provide a further layer of anonymity. Finally, I am providing a copy of the report via Google Docs. Overall, the project was quite interesting because I was able to explore WoW through a lens I had only done through casual conversations. Working on it even helped better understand the depth of gaming in general; moreover, it fueled new questions that I may pursue in the future.

A final copy of the project is available at the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8-JdYKOeSVqX3pBU3AydG1ZMk0/view?usp=sharing

Thanks, again, for all your assistance, support, and interest in the project!

My long-awaited poster is here! I will be presenting at the 7th Annual SAGE Student Research Conference at California State University, Channel Islands tomorrow until 10:30AM (PDT). The content focused on delivering blurbs—roughly one hundred words—offering details about the project. It covers the major themes without going into excruciating details on why they connect to other aspects of gameplay. Still, I wanted to share one of the final products if you are unable to attend. The file is available as a PDF from Google Docs: "WoW, what am I thinking?" poster link. 

My weekend conducting archaeological research out-of-town (and without Internet access) was thoroughly enjoyable. Admittedly, I am behind on posting summaries of the results, but I am creating a conference poster that will be uploaded here upon completion. Other information—including summaries of results and the final document—will be made available no later than one or two weeks after the 7th Annual SAGE Student Research Conference at California State University, Channel Islands.

Thanks, again, for your help, interest, and participation.          

Data collection is complete! The project’s upper limit was to conduct up to twenty interviews: twelve informants were interviewed during a two-week period in March 2015. Results are being analyzed; moreover, a summary of thematic elements will be posted in the upcoming weeks.

Data collection [the interviewing process] is going incredibly well: I should be done before the end of the month. I would like to offer everybody who participated or who was interested my thanks. Afterall, this project would not have been possible without you.

If you would like to contact me regarding the project, please email me at richard.schott618(at)myci.csuci.edu. Leaving comments, while nice for generating conversation, will likely reveal your Google or Blogger account unless they are done anonymously. This will help to protect your anonymity if you wish to communicate outside World of Warcraft. Moreover, leaving other details such as your character's name, server, etc. is not recommended. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

The project's new title is "WoW, what am I thinking? A Phenomenological Exploration of Player Beliefs and Goals in World of Warcraft".