Name of Researcher, Faculty, Department, Telephone & Email:

Sam Stockton; Department of Communications, Media, and Film; Faculty of Arts
Email: skstockt@ucalgary.ca
Supervisor:
Dr. Samantha Thrift; Department of Communications, Media, and Film; Faculty of Arts
Email: samantha.thrift@ucalgary.ca
Title of Project: Queering Games Through Playing and Modding
Sponsor: The Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada’s Joseph Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship-Master’s
Ethics ID: REB21-0969

This consent form, a copy of which has been given to you, is only part of the process of informed consent. If you want more details about something mentioned here, or information not included here, you should feel free to ask. Please take the time to read this carefully and to understand any accompanying information.

The University of Calgary Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board has approved this research study.
Participation is completely voluntary. The research team will never disclose your participant to any other parties.

Purpose of the Study

Video games and the video game industry have a history of homophobia and transphobia both in their narratives and rules of the game. However, LGBTQ2+ people have an equally long history of resisting this homophobia and transphobia. This is often done through challenging and dismantling the structures and norms within the games.

Farming Simulation Roleplay Games (FSRPGs) are a genre of games that combine farming with community and relationship building. These games have a long history of homophobia and transphobia and a large LGBTQ2+ audience. This makes them ideal for studying how LGBTQ2+ people challenge oppression within the games.

Thus, this study seeks to find out:
(a) why do LGBTQ2+ players play FSRPGs,
(b) how do LGBTQ2+ players play FSRPGs,
(c) how do LGBTQ2+ players challenge homophobia and transphobia in FSRPGs,
and (d) how and/or why do modders choose to modify FSRPGs to add queer content?

What Will I Be Asked To Do?

You will be asked to take part in one individual interview over Zoom that will last approximately 60-90 minutes. You will be asked questions about your experience modding games, your experiences as an LGBTQ2+ player and modder, and general questions about farming simulation roleplay games. Some potentially sensitive questions about gender and sexual orientation may be asked. All interviews will be video and audio recorded using Zoom.

All recordings will be saved on a password-protected computer and kept in an encrypted file. These recordings will be transcribed for the purpose of data analysis.

Following the interview, you will be sent a second consent form to verify your consent to use the information you provided during the interview in this research. In this form, you will be given the opportunity to withdraw any information from the interview that you do not want to be included in the study. If you would like to view the transcript of your interview before submitting your second consent form, please contact Mx. Sam Stockton. You can choose to either be emailed a PDF copy of your transcript or to schedule a Zoom call where you can view your transcript on the screen.

After the final report has been written, you will also be asked to read and review sections of the report to verify whether the conclusions drawn from the interview accurately reflect your experience.

Participation in this study is completely voluntary. You may refuse to participate altogether, may refuse to participate in parts of the study, may decline to answer any or all questions, and may withdraw from the study at any time.

What Type of Personal Information Will Be Collected?

Should you agree to participate, you will be asked for your age, gender, and sexual and romantic orientations.

There are several options for you to consider if you decide to take part in this research. You can choose all, some, or none of them. This includes:

• Granting permission to be video and audio recorded. 
• Choosing to remain anonymous. 
• Choosing to be referred to by a pseudonym (and choosing a pseudonym).
• Choosing to be quoted or not quoted. 
• Choosing to be contacted about follow-up questions. 

Are there Risks or Benefits if I Participate?

Risks: This interview will ask you to reflect on your experiences as an LGBTQ2+ person, which may be challenging. Some questions may cause distress. If this discomfort arises, you may skip any questions or stop the interview altogether. If you wish to end participation in this study, all of your data will be deleted within 2 months of the interview. All efforts will be made to minimize these risks.

If you are in distress and need assistance, you should contact your local medical helpline, distress centre, or crisis intervention team where available. In an emergency, contact the emergency service nearest you. For a list of emergency numbers by country, please visit https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jN7ALMAM07RLtB_gKmzV4fsJ20-fp-dxASMQx5vkpn0/.

Researchers will take all necessary measures to protect your anonymity and confidentiality. Participants should understand that it may be possible for people to guess your identity depending on the type of responses you provide in the interview.

Participants should consider the legality of LGBTQ+ identities and the promotion of LGBTQ+ identities in the country in which they currently reside. To see a list of countries with anti-LGBTQ+ laws, please visit http://internap.hrw.org/features/features/lgbt_laws/.

Benefits: Participants may directly benefit from having the opportunity to discuss their experiences modding and thinking about their practices. Additionally, participants may benefit from having their perspective included in academia about LGBTQ+ gaming and modding.

What Happens to the Information I Provide?

Information from interviews (including revisions) provided by the participants will be kept confidential. Only Mx. Sam Stockton (the interviewer) will have access to the raw audio/video recordings of our discussions. Dr. Samantha Thrift will have access to transcripts of the interviews that have been anonymized.

Your contributions will be made anonymous and recorded under a pseudonym of your choosing. You will only be referred to by a pseudonym in the final report. The anonymous data will be kept in an encrypted file and stored for five years on a password-protected computer, at which time, it will be permanently erased.

Participants are free to withdraw until 2 months post-interview. Upon participant withdrawal, all data collected will be destroyed, within 2 months of the interview. To withdraw, please contact Mx. Sam Stockton via email.