Anything for a high

Read this article about the "choking game," where adolescents choke themselves or others until just before losing consciousness for the "high" that results. It's perfectly legal -- no illegal substances are involved. But it might be more deadly. And that's what concerns me. We'll regulate marijuana, cocaine, alcohol, cigarettes, even White-out and some cold medicines, because they're dangerous to children, but this game doesn't involve anything illegal. What does it show? That kids will do anything to get high. They're going to do it anyway, so why don't we help them find safe ways of doing it rather than let them choke themselves to death?

Academic study of video games

One of the best parts of getting a certificate/master's in Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies is that it is an outlet for me to study video games. If I were to just focus on my philosophy studies, it is unlikely I would spend as much time studying video games. I would feel that my time would be better spent on more traditional questions. My interest in video games is just a side interest, but I'm glad that I have a reason to pursue it rather than shove it to the side for more "serious" philosophical questions.

I'm working on a project for my feminist methodologies class on the female gamer's experience. One of the tasks I must complete for this project is an interview. (Feminist methodology is primarily qualitative.) So I must identify my interest group (female gamers) and interview one or two to get their experience in their words (without having to fit it into traditional categories). I'm afraid to ask my friends because they know me and my interests/biases and might change their answers based upon that knowledge. So now I need to find some people, friends of friends? college students around campus?, to interview. One thing to keep in mind is the age of the women I interview. The 25-35-year-old demographic of which I am a part may respond very differently than 18-25-year-olds. I think it is an interesting question, but not one I have the time to really work on right now. So I need to figure out which group of women I want to understand. There is no objective answer to this question -- I need to identify my own interests (another aspect of feminist research). Would the older women be more reflective? Would the younger women be more relevant because they are the youngest generation of adult female gamers and their voices would be more interesting to video game companies?

Another thing I would like to do down the road is a survey to get more data and quantitative data (companies understand numbers better than subjective "experiences"). But I'm getting ahead of myself. For now, I need to decide on my demographic. Maybe doing some reading for this literature review I'm working on will help me decide.