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On Preserving Games and Perseverance for the Future: A Developer Perspective (open access)

On Preserving Games and Perseverance for the Future: A Developer Perspective

Using ethnographic research methods, I worked with the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) to conduct an exploratory study about developer perspectives on video game preservation. I conducted in-depth interviews with independent developers in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, a hub for Texas game development. These interviews explored developers' knowledge and awareness of game preservation as a topic of concern, archival culture and practices in the industry, and the IGDA's potential role in addressing issues related to preservation work. This research contributes to a growing body of literature on game preservation, urgently needed as many gaming technologies face obsolescence in the near future. I use Ellen Cushman's concept of "perseverance" to examine the difference between simply preserving video games for the future, and the perseverance of game development as a professional trade and artistic craft.
Date: May 2019
Creator: Gonzalez, Stephen
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sowing the Seeds of Stewardship in Texas: An Ethnographic Study of Nature and Visitor Experience at Texas State Parks (open access)

Sowing the Seeds of Stewardship in Texas: An Ethnographic Study of Nature and Visitor Experience at Texas State Parks

This study uses a mixed methods approach to investigate how individuals perceive nature and engage with Texas state park (TSP) programs and resources while also identifying major barriers that visitors perceive/encounter when visiting TSPs. This study looks through the anthropological lens by using theoretical frameworks such as habitus, presentation of the social self, space and place, as well as communities of practice (CoP), to better understand the factors that influence the establishment and maintenance of an individual's relationship to nature and participation in related practices. This study illustrates how an individual's relationship to nature is influenced by experiences in early life that involve activities, landscape or bioregion, and social factors. Relationships with nature are strengthened through social support especially when CoPs are involved. By understanding park visitor experiences through motivations and limitations to participating in the outdoors, parks can expand engagement tactics, foster existing and create new CoP related to nature that aid in the introduction and adoption of outdoor learning and experiences creating lifelong stewards. The study offers recommendations on how TSPs can address visitor barriers and increase nature affinity with the use of targeted outreach and engagement methods through agency interpretive resources and programs with the goal of …
Date: May 2023
Creator: Saintonge, Kenneth C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Teach Healthier: An mHealth Case Study for Piloting Pre-K Health Curriculum (open access)

Teach Healthier: An mHealth Case Study for Piloting Pre-K Health Curriculum

This rapid ethnographic study explored how a 'mobile health education' app might impact preschool teachers and students, interact with organizational protocols and policies, and align with the preschool culture. The researcher evaluated the app's early Pre-K content and user experience. With a systems thinking approach, this study revealed the lived-experiences and processes in preschools around Austin, Texas. The outcomes of this study guided the client with more human-centered approaches to researching and designing their apps and services.
Date: May 2017
Creator: Sarmiento, John
System: The UNT Digital Library
Memories in the Body: Looking at the Connection between Emotional Stress and Autoimmune Diseases (open access)

Memories in the Body: Looking at the Connection between Emotional Stress and Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmunity is a modern age medical dilemma which is inextricably linked with emotional stress. Based on semi-structured interviews and participant Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) survey results, this study confirms that the autoimmune process may be initiated via psychosocial factors like emotional stress and childhood trauma. Ninety-three percent of participants experienced adversity or trauma in childhood, and 50% of participants talked about a period of prolonged stress that preceded the onset of their condition. This study also confirms the intimate and satisfactory relationship developed between patients and complementary and alternative (CAM) practitioners, who invite patients to be co-producers of health and holistically address patients' minds, bodies, and souls. Finally, this study demonstrates the incredible resiliency of people diagnosed with autoimmune conditions and how they find healing and meaning post-diagnosis.
Date: May 2022
Creator: Shenberger, Taylor
System: The UNT Digital Library