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Message: <blockquote data-quote="rpgresearch" data-source="post: 6182429" data-attributes="member: 6691105">I'm not certain if you are asking regarding just the "public" versus  "private" hypothesis, or the overall RPG Research project, so I'll  attempt to answer both, by beginning with the latter first.The RPG Research Project's goals include attempting to establish the causal effects of role-playing gaming (in all forms) upon participants.As  causality is more clearly established during the various stages listed  on the site, it is hoped that indicators will be clarified to  potentially use role-playing gaming (in various forms) as therapeutic  intervention for various needs. I am approaching this from both the  research psychology and recreation therapy perspectives.The website lists the many steps for this process, and some of the potential uses for treatment modalities, at rpgresearch.com.The  reason I believe the "public" versus "private" hypothesis is relevant,  is because it may be a variable that has an impact on the correlative  data from the past, versus more recent results, and my own observations.  It is possible this may be a variable that could influence some stages  of research. If there are significant distinctions in traits  between private and public gamers, this will have to be kept in mind as  various comparative data results are studied. For example, I'm  currently in the analysis stage of a study on gender-bias in the gaming  community and industry (164 respondents), hoping to meet a deadline for  publication, so that it will be published in a December journal (if I  miss the deadline, I'll just release on the site).Some of the  data (small portion) I know is from private gamers, but I do not know  how many of the rest from the public settings, would qualify as public  gamers, and this may (or may not) have a significant impact in the  results of the gender-bias questionnaire. The few that I know definitely  are private gamers only/mostly, generally responded that there is very  little bias in the community, while the rest of the respondents have  indicated significant bias. My personal experience is that I have seen  very little gender-bias in the private groups I've played or GM'd, but I  have seen quite a bit of it in the public settings (shockingly  excessively so). This is possibly because the private groups are much  more self-selecting than the public groups (obviously).There is  definitely an inherent challenge in attempting to find out if private  gamers have any statistically significant differences from public  gamers, just by the nature of their lack of public engagement, it is  difficult to find them, and engage them in the studies.I hope  that I can over time draw out some of these private gamers through  questionnaires that delineate their level of participation. As people  continue to register for upcoming research projects on the website,  hopefully some of the registrations will include normally private gamers  as well. I also have brochures on display at various gaming stores,  book stores, etc. in the hopes of finding people that are gamers, but  that I might never run into at gaming events.Through  participants' responses, if they indicate they game regularly in a home  setting, and never/rarely participate in public game settings like local  hobby stores, tourneys, conventions, etc., then potentially that will  establish the differentiation of participant type. Then, if there is a  large enough sample size of the private gamers, have them undergo the  same baseline testing as the public gamers, and look for any differences  (if any). These tests include IQ and other types of problem solving  tests, MMPI and other personality tests, Beck Depression test, etc, etc.  If there is found to be a statistically significant difference between  the two groups, that will then need to be considered as possibly  important in the further potential development of other upcoming studies  to keep that variable in mind. If it is determined there is nothing  different from a statistically significant perspective, then it will be a  set of questions and variables that won't need to necessarily be  tracked in other studies.</blockquote>

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