Knowing and throwing mudballs, hearts, pies, and flowers: a connective ethnography of gaming practices

摘要: Little is known how young players learn to participate in various activities virtual worlds. We use a new integrative approach called connective ethnography that focuses on gaming expertise spreads across network of youth at an after school club simultaneously participates world Whyville.net. To trace participation online and offline social contexts, we draw multiple sources information: observations, interviews, video recordings, tracking chat data, hundreds hours play Whyville ourselves. One particular game practice - the throwing projectiles its uses nuances became focal point our analyses. The discussions address methodological challenges underlying synthesis diverse types data allowed us follow spaces times as well initial insights into this was used negotiate relationships through play.