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Religion after work: Christianity, morality, and serious leisure

- Abraham, Ibrahim

  • Authors: Abraham, Ibrahim
  • Date: 2020
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Spirituality, Organization and Neoliberalism Chapter 8 p. 149-170
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  • Description: Through extended retirement, unemployment or underemployment, expanding joblessness is changing the traditional hierarchical balance between work and earned leisure. This chapter explores the implications of such changes in the context of established religious and moral systems, particularly Protestant Christianity, which has been connected to conventional capitalist ideologies of work since Max Weber’s ‘Protestant Ethic’ thesis. Focusing on the concept of ‘serious leisure’, in which an individual makes a systematic commitment to a leisure pursuit, this chapter uses the case study of church-facilitated youth-focused action sports projects in South Africa to explore the ethical challenges of a leisure-driven life. Embodying an autotelic approach to life, emphasizing commitment to one’s own actions, emotions and outcomes, serious leisure can promote a form of neoliberal self-governance. Through its autotelic ethic, serious leisure may be more capable of fulfilling the ideological values of work promoted by earlier Protestant and secular ‘bourgeois’ work ethics, such as authenticity.

Saturday night and Sunday morning: value monism and pluralism in contemporary evangelical musicianship

- Abraham, Ibrahim

  • Authors: Abraham, Ibrahim
  • Date: 2021
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Journal of contemporary religion Vol. 36, no. 3 (2021), p. 483-500
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  • Description: Drawing on interviews with, and ethnographic observations of, evangelical Christian musicians with experience of contemporary worship music-as well as secular heavy metal and punk rock-this article analyses the competing value relations underpinning contemporary evangelical musicianship. Developing the work of Joel Robbins on value theory and the anthropology of Christianity and the work of Klisala Harrison on ethnomusicology, this article analyses four examples of different value relations between religious service and expressive individualism: strong monism, stable monism, stable pluralism, unstable pluralism. It is shown through case studies of individual musicians that, whereas strong value monist approaches to evangelical musicianship efface the presence of the subjective self and stable monist approaches suspend its presence, stable pluralism allows both religious and secular vocations to co-exist in separate social spaces, while strong value pluralist approaches to evangelical musicianship emphasise or celebrate the presence of the subjective self and, in so doing, sometimes undermine the ritual aims of congregational worship.

Contemporary Christian Music and Contemporary Worship Music

- Abraham, Ibrahim

  • Authors: Abraham, Ibrahim
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: The Routledge International Handbook of Sociology and Christianity Chapter 19 p. 242-253
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  • Description: This chapter offers a critical overview of sociological aspects of and approaches to contemporary Christian music (CCM) and contemporary worship music (CWM), two related genres of abidingly evangelical popular music in which contemporary Christianity engages the spectacular capacities of consumer capitalism. Identifying CCM as musically diverse, yet united by the shifting values of American evangelicalism, and recognizing CWM as a sophisticated congregational practice increasingly integrated into the everyday lives of listeners, this chapter analyzes tensions and contestations in these cultural forms. It also identifies important theoretical concepts pertinent to the study of CCM and CWM: Emile Durkheim’s concept of collective effervescence, Theodor Adorno’s critique of the culture industry, approaches to music-based subcultures, and Christopher Small’s musicking paradigm. © 2024 selection and editorial matter, Dennis Hiebert; individual chapters, the contributors.

Middle-class anxiety and moderate prosperity: South Africa and China in comparative perspective

- Abraham, Ibrahim

  • Authors: Abraham, Ibrahim
  • Date: 2020
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: The Australasian review of African studies Vol. 41, no. 2 (2020), p. 5-26
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  • Description: This article presents the first comparative study of the middle class in Africa and China, drawing on published research from both regions, furnished with analysis of popular culture and ethnographic insights from research on South Africa's new black middle class. This study explores four topics of theoretical and empirical significance. Firstly, definitional debates about the qualitative and quantitative classification of the middle class, including the appropriateness of the term in (South) Africa and China. Secondly, the appropriation of the Chinese concept of xiaokang (moderate prosperity) for the study of Africa. Thirdly, anxiety over social and economic status, related in particular to distinctions between strata within the middle class, building on a distinction between middle-class moderate prosperity and middle-class affluence. Fourthly, anxiety over contradictions between emerging individual desires and traditional familial commitments, impacting South Africa's moderately prosperous in particular, with broader cultural implications for emerging African and Chinese modernities.

Influence of controlled burning on the mobility and temporal variations of potentially toxic metals (PTMs) in the soils of a legacy gold mine site in Central Victoria, Australia

- Abraham, Joji, Dowling, Kim, Florentine, Singarayer

  • Authors: Abraham, Joji , Dowling, Kim , Florentine, Singarayer
  • Date: 2018
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Geoderma Vol. 331, no. (2018), p. 1-14
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  • Description: Controlled burns also known as managed burns or prescribed fires conducted in fire-prone areas are an efficient and economic option to reduce the frequency and intensity of wildfires. The objective of this study is to investigate the remobilization of potentially toxic metals (PTMs) in the soils of a legacy gold mine site in Central Victoria, Australia after a controlled burn and to describe their temporal variations in concentrations. Soil samples were collected two days before, two days after and five times later (3, 6, 9, 12 months and after major rainfall) in the post-burn environment after a controlled burn, from the Maldon legacy mine site and analysed for PTM concentrations. The results revealed PTM mobilization after the burn and most of the PTMs (As, Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, and Zn) evidenced an increase immediately after the burn but a reduction in the subsequent post-burn environment. The increase is postulated to be associated with addition of PTM enriched ash to the soil, while the decrease is due to the removal of ash and surface soil by wind activity as well as rainfall runoff and leaching. The PTM mobility is of specific concern due to the negative impacts on human and ecosystems health. Climate change and the resulting projection of increased forest fire frequency highlight the environmental significance, given the expected concomitant increase in PTM mobilization through wildfires and controlled burns. Hence, the practice of controlled burning should be carefully considered as a forest management option in any legacy mining areas and indeed in other areas where PTM contamination is reported. © 2018

Effects of prescribed fire and post-fire rainfall on mercury mobilization and subsequent contamination assessment in a legacy mine site in Victoria, Australia

- Abraham, Joji, Dowling, Kim, Florentine, Singarayer

  • Authors: Abraham, Joji , Dowling, Kim , Florentine, Singarayer
  • Date: 2018
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Chemosphere Vol. 190, no. (2018), p. 144-153
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  • Description: Prescribed fire conducted in fire-prone areas is a cost-effective choice for forest management, but it also affects many of the physicochemical and bio-geological properties of the forest soil, in a similar manner to wild fires. The aim of this study is to investigate the nature of the mercury mobilization after a prescribed fire and the subsequent temporal changes in concentration. A prescribed fire was conducted in a legacy mine site in Central Victoria, Australia, in late August 2015 and soil sample collection and analyses were carried out two days before and two days after the fire, followed by collection at the end of each season and after an intense rainfall event in September 2016. Results revealed the occurrence of mercury volatilization (8.3–97%) during the fire, and the mercury concentration displayed a significant difference (p < 0.05) before and immediately after the fire. Integrated assessment with number of pollution indices has shown that the study site is extremely contaminated with mercury during all the sampling events, and this poses a serious ecological risk due to the health impacts of mercury on human and ecosystems. In times of climate fluctuation with concomitant increase in forest fire (including prescribed fire), and subsequent precipitation and runoff, the potential for an increased amount of mercury being mobilized is of heighted significance. Therefore, it is recommended that prescribed fire should be cautiously considered as a forest management strategy in any mercury affected landscapes. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd

The unquantified risk of post-fire metal concentration in soil : A Review

- Abraham, Joji, Dowling, Kim, Florentine, Singarayer

  • Authors: Abraham, Joji , Dowling, Kim , Florentine, Singarayer
  • Date: 2017
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Water, Air, and Soil Pollution Vol. 228, no. 5 (2017), p. 1-33
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  • Description: Forest fire is a natural disturbance that occurs in many terrestrial ecosystems specifically in the semi-arid environments and is considered to be an important cause of environmental change. Though many causes of fire are identified, including lightning, volcanic eruption, power line sparks, etc., human involvement is the most significant factor. Fire events are able to alter the physical, chemical and biogeochemical properties of the soil and surface materials and are able to release major and trace metals into the environment. This may be more significant in mining-affected and industrial landscapes, where elevated concentrations of metals present in the soil. After the fire event, metals become more mobile due to the increase in soil surface exposure and the mobility associated with ash dispersal. This mobility may increase the bioavailability of the metals, which may generate water quality issues and may contribute to human and environmental health concerns. Even though, the influences of fire on many soil properties are well established, the behaviour of metals with respect to fire is not well investigated. However, a few studies report that major and trace metals include Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn and As are mobilized after fire with increased concentrations in soil and water resources and this might pose a risk to human health and ecosystems. Climate change may increase the intensity, frequency and areal extend of fire events and hence increase the metal concentrations and their potential health impacts. This paper reviews post-fire (wild fire) mobility of metals in soil common in contaminated forest ecosystems. The human and ecological health risks of these metals are also considered. © 2017, Springer International Publishing Switzerland.

Assessment of potentially toxic metal contamination in the soils of a legacy mine site in Central Victoria, Australia

- Abraham, Joji, Dowling, Kim, Florentine, Singarayer

  • Authors: Abraham, Joji , Dowling, Kim , Florentine, Singarayer
  • Date: 2018
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Chemosphere Vol. 192, no. (2018), p. 122-132
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  • Description: The environmental impact of toxic metal contamination from legacy mining activities, many of which had operated and were closed prior to the enforcement of robust environmental legislation, is of growing concern to modern society. We have carried out analysis of As and potentially toxic metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in the surface soil of a legacy gold mining site in Maldon, Victoria, Australia, to reveal the status of the current metal concentration. The results revealed the median concentrations of metals from highest to lowest, in the order: Mn > Zn > As > Cr > Cu > Pb > Ni > Co > Hg > Cd. The status of site was assessed directly by comparing the metal concentrations in the study area with known Australian and Victorian average top soil levels and the health investigation levels set by the National Environmental Protection Measures (NEPM) and the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) of the State of Western Australia. Although, median concentrations of As, Hg, Pb, Cu and Zn exceeded the average Australian and Victorian top soil concentrations, only As and Hg exceeded the ecological investigation levels (EIL) set by DEC and thus these metals are considered as risk to the human and aquatic ecosystems health due to their increase in concentration and toxicity. In an environment of climate fluctuation with increased storm events and forest fires may mobilize these toxic metals contaminants, pose a real threat to the environment and the community. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd

Controlled burn and immediate mobilization of potentially toxic elements in soil, from a legacy mine site in Central Victoria, Australia

- Abraham, Joji, Dowling, Kim, Florentine, Singarayer

  • Authors: Abraham, Joji , Dowling, Kim , Florentine, Singarayer
  • Date: 2018
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Science of the Total Environment Vol. 616-617, no. (2018), p. 1022-1034
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  • Description: Conducting controlled burns in fire prone areas is an efficient and economic method for forest management, and provides relief from the incidence of high severity wild fires and the consequent damage to human property and ecosystems. However, similar to wild fires, controlled burns also affect many of the physical and biogeochemical properties of the forest soil and may facilitate remobilization of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) sequestered in vegetation and soil organic matter. The objective of the current study is to investigate the mobilization of PTEs, in Central Victorian forest soils in Australia after a controlled burn. Surface soil samples were collected two days before and after the controlled burn to determine the concentration of PTEs and to examine the physicochemical properties. Results show that As, Cd, Mn, Ni and Zn concentrations increased 1.1, 1.6, 1.7, 1.1 and 1.9 times respectively in the post-burn environment, whereas the concentrations of Hg, Cr and Pb decreased to 0.7, 0.9 and 0.9 times respectively, highlighting considerable PTE mobility during and after a controlled burn. Whilst these results do not identify very strong correlations between physicochemical properties of soil and PTEs in the pre- and post-burn environments, PTEs themselves demonstrated very strong and significant correlations. The mobilization of As, Hg and other toxic elements raise potential health concerns as the number of controlled burns are projected to increase in response to climate change. Due to this increased level of PTE release and remobilization, the use of any kinds of controlled burn must be carefully considered before being used as a forest management strategy in mining-affected landscapes which include areas with high PTE concentrations. © 2017 Elsevier B.V.

Risk of post-fire metal mobilization into surface water resources : A review

- Abraham, Joji, Dowling, Kim, Florentine, Singarayer

  • Authors: Abraham, Joji , Dowling, Kim , Florentine, Singarayer
  • Date: 2017
  • Type: Text , Journal article , Review
  • Relation: Science of the Total Environment Vol. 599-600, no. (2017), p. 1740-1755
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  • Description: One of the significant economic benefits to communities around the world of having pristine forest catchments is the supply of substantial quantities of high quality potable water. This supports a saving of around US$ 4.1 trillion per year globally by limiting the cost of expensive drinking water treatments and provision of unnecessary infrastructure. Even low levels of contaminants specifically organics and metals in catchments when in a mobile state can reduce these economic benefits by seriously affecting the water quality. Contamination and contaminant mobility can occur through natural and anthropogenic activities including forest fires. Moderate to high intensity forest fires are able to alter soil properties and release sequestered metals from sediments, soil organic matter and fragments of vegetation. In addition, the increase in post-fire erosion rate by rainfall runoff and strong winds facilitates the rapid transport of these metals downslope and downstream. The subsequent metal deposition in distal soil and water bodies can influence surface water quality with potential impacts to the larger ecosystems inclusive of negative effects on humans. This is of substantial concern as 4 billion hectares of forest catchments provide high quality water to global communities. Redressing this problem requires quantification of the potential effects on water resources and instituting rigorous fire and environmental management plans to mitigate deleterious effects on catchment areas. This paper is a review of the current state of the art literature dealing with the risk of post-fire mobilization of the metals into surface water resources. It is intended to inform discussion on the preparation of suitable management plans and policies during and after fire events in order to maintain potable water quality in a cost-effective manner. In these times of climate fluctuation and increased incidence of fires, the need for development of new policies and management frameworks are of heighted significance. © 2017 Elsevier B.V.

Poster : Privacy protection for real world participatory sensing system

- Abrar, Nafeez, Iqbal, Anindya, Zaman, Shaolin, Murshed, Manzur

  • Authors: Abrar, Nafeez , Iqbal, Anindya , Zaman, Shaolin , Murshed, Manzur
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Conference paper
  • Relation: 14th Annual International Conference on Mobile Systems, Applications, and Services Companion
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  • Description: Participatory Sensing System (PSS) is an emerging technology for collection of useful information as the use of smart-phones has been increasing lately among community people. It has a wide range of applications like environmental monitoring, product price sharing, health monitoring etc. But people have to share their location and other information which is a high privacy risk. Our main contribution of this work is to develop a technique for PSS which can provide privacy protection for the participants in manageable time in real world.

Effects of transformer oil properties and contamination on its spectral response

- Abu Bakar, Norazhar, Abu-Siada, Ahmed, Islam, Syed, El-Naggar, M.

  • Authors: Abu Bakar, Norazhar , Abu-Siada, Ahmed , Islam, Syed , El-Naggar, M.
  • Date: 2014
  • Type: Text , Conference proceedings
  • Relation: 2014 International Conference on Condition Monitoring and Diagnosis, CMD 2014; Jeju, Korea; 21st September 2014
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  • Description: UV Spectrophotometry is a non-intrusive test that can be employed to determine power transformer’s integrity. Light transmitted through transformer oil sample containing various contaminations is decreased by that fraction being absorbed and is detected as a function of wavelength. This paper investigates the impact of various contaminations and oil properties such as water content, acidity, interfacial tension and average voltage breakdown on the spectral response of the transformer oil. In this regard, various transformer oil samples are collected from in-service transformers and the aforementioned parameters are measured. Same oil samples are scanned with UV-Vis spectroscopic and the spectral responses are obtained and analysed.

Effect of conducting materials on UV-Vis spectral response characteristics

- Abu Bakar, Norazhar, Abu-Siada, Ahmed, Das, Narottam, Islam, Syed

  • Authors: Abu Bakar, Norazhar , Abu-Siada, Ahmed , Das, Narottam , Islam, Syed
  • Date: 2013
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Universal Journal of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Vol. 1, no. 3 (2013), p. 81-86
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  • Description: Spectroscopic analysis is recently being employed to measure furan concentration in transformer oil. Light absorbance and spectral bandwidth are used as indicators to estimate furan concentration level in transformer oil. However, the possibility of dust and other conducting materials that might exist in transformer oil sample need to be considered as it may influence the spectroscopic performance. In this paper, series of tests are carried out to investigate the impact of dust on the transformer oil spectral response characteristics. Oil sample with various furan concentrations along with certain amount of copper powder are examined. Experimental results show that the spectral response characteristics only affected by dust at the beginning of mix process. However, the characteristic returns to the original one within a few minutes.

A review of dissolved gas analysis measurement and interpretation techniques

- Abu Bakar, Norazhar, Abu-Siada, Ahmed, Islam, Syed

Understanding power transformer frequency response analysis signatures

- Abu-Siada, Ahmed, Hashemnia, Naser, Islam, Syed, Masoum, Mohammad

  • Authors: Abu-Siada, Ahmed , Hashemnia, Naser , Islam, Syed , Masoum, Mohammad
  • Date: 2013
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine Vol. 29, no. 3 (2013), p. 48-56
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  • Description: This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the effects of various faults on the FRA signatures of a transformer simulated by a high-frequency model. The faults were simulated through changes in the values of some of the electrical components in the model. It was found that radial displacement of a winding alters the FRA signature over the entire frequency range (10 Hz-1 MHz), whereas changes due to axial displacement occur only at frequencies above 200 kHz. A Table listing various transformer faults and the associated changes in the FRA signature was compiled and could be used in the formulation of standard codes for power transformer FRA signature interpretation.

Applications of power electronics in renewable energy systems

- Abu-Siada, Ahmed, Islam, Syed

  • Authors: Abu-Siada, Ahmed , Islam, Syed
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Power Electronics Handbook Chapter 23 p. 797-843
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  • Description: The Kyoto and Paris agreements on global reduction of greenhouse gas emissions have prompted renewed interest in the adoption of clean renewable energy systems worldwide. Many renewable energy technologies have been well developed over the years and become morereliable, and cost-competitive with conventional fuel-based generation. The cost of renewable energy technologies is on a falling trend and is expected to fall further with the increase in demand and production. There are many renewable energy sources (RES) such as biomass, solar, wind, mini-hydro, and tidal power. However, solar and wind energy systems make use of advanced power electronics technologies, and therefore, the focus in this chapter will be on solar photovoltaic and wind power systems. © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Classification of Twitter users with eating disorder engagement : learning from the biographies

- Abuhassan, Mohammad, Anwar, Tarique, Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, Matthew, Jarman, Hannah, Shatte, Adrian, Liu, Chengfei, Sukunesan, Suku

  • Authors: Abuhassan, Mohammad , Anwar, Tarique , Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, Matthew , Jarman, Hannah , Shatte, Adrian , Liu, Chengfei , Sukunesan, Suku
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Computers in Human Behavior Vol. 140, no. (2023), p.
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  • Description: Individuals with an Eating Disorder (ED) are typically reluctant to seek help via traditional means (e.g., psychologists). However, recent evidence suggests that many individuals seek assistance via social media for weight and diet related concerns. Sophisticated approaches are needed to better distinguish those who may be in need of help for an ED from those who are simply commenting on ED in online social environments. In order to facilitate effective communication between individuals with or at-risk of an ED and healthcare professionals, this research exploits a deep learning model to differentiate the users with ED engagement (e.g., ED sufferers, healthcare professionals or communicators) over social media. For this purpose, a collection of Twitter data is compiled using Twitter application programming interface (API) on the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) Nectar research cloud. After collecting 1,400,000 Twitter biographies in total, a subset of 4000 biographies are annotated manually. This annotation enables the differentiation of users engaged with ED-focused language on social media into five categories: ED-user, healthcare professional, communicator, healthcare professional-communicator, and other. Based on these annotated categories, a predictive deep learning model based on bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT) and long short-term memory (LSTM) is developed. The model achieves an F1 score of 98.19% and an accuracy of 98.37%. It demonstrates the viability of detecting the individuals with possible ED risk and distinguishes them from other categories using their biography data. We further conducted a network analysis for investigating the communication network between these categories. Our analysis shows that ED-users are more secretive and self-protective, whereas the healthcare professionals and communicators frequently interact with each other and a wide range of other people. To the best of our knowledge, our research is the first of its kind for identifying the different user categories engaged with ED-focused communications on social media. © 2022

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games : The past, present, and future

- Achterbosch, Leigh, Pierce, Robyn, Simmons, Gregory

  • Authors: Achterbosch, Leigh , Pierce, Robyn , Simmons, Gregory
  • Date: 2008
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Computers in Entertainment Vol. 5, no. 4 (2008), p. 1-33
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  • Description: Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are emerging in the computer game industry as a very popular genre. These games have existed since the late 1990s, but in the last few years the market has become increasingly strong. This relatively new genre is attracting a widespread audience, bringing together those who previously enjoyed both pen and paper and computer role-playing games, as well as those who enjoy socializing with other players in a virtual environment. Game developers see MMORPGs as a potentially profitable business due to its widespread appeal, but the reality is that only a small percentage of MMORPGs that are released become a success [Kosak 2006]. This article attempts to determine the many aspects that make a successful MMORPG; it also attempts to ascertain what new and innovative features are expected by the users from the next generation of MMORPGs. This is achieved by looking at and discussing past literature and surveying the MMORPG community's perception of previous and current MMORPGs, as well as their expectations of the next generation. An online survey attracted 122 participants to provide their perceptions of current and past MMORPGs. This article determines and outlines the respondents' preferences in the MMORPG genre, discussing what implications these could have on its future. The survey also gave insight into the respondents' expectations of the future of MMORPGs. We conclude this article with a discussion of aspects of current MMORPGs that the participants would like improved, as well as new features they would like incorporated into the next generation of games. © 2008 ACM.
  • Description: C1

Ganking, corpse camping and ninja looting from the perception of the MMORPG community: Acceptable behaviour or unacceptable griefing?

- Achterbosch, Leigh, Miller, Charlynn, Vamplew, Peter

  • Authors: Achterbosch, Leigh , Miller, Charlynn , Vamplew, Peter
  • Date: 2013
  • Type: Text , Conference paper
  • Relation: 9th Australasian Conference on Interactive entertainment p. 19
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  • Description: Every day in online games designed to entertain, an unknown percentage of users are experiencing what is known as 'Griefing'. Griefing is used to describe when a player within a multiplayer online environment intentionally disrupts another player's game experience for his/her own personal enjoyment or material gain. Unrestrained, griefing could lead to a downward spiral of the number of people playing Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG)s, and possibly the death of smaller MMORPGs. Big game publishers may not wish to risk supporting the genre. There have been studies conducted in the past that attempt to define griefing and the different forms it takes in MMORPGs. These were outlined from the perception of the general player, and so did not examine differences in perception of griefing by different types of players. The authors conducted an online survey with the intention to discover the perception of various in-game actions previously identified in research as griefing, among griefers and griefing victims. In general players who identified themselves as griefers were more likely to regard these actions as a part of the game people had to learn to accept and not griefing. However some patterns of commonality were also observed between griefers and subjects of griefing, with some actions previously identified as griefing in the literature less commonly regarded as griefing by both player types in this survey.

A taxonomy of griefer type by motivation in massively multiplayer online role-playing games

- Achterbosch, Leigh, Miller, Charlynn, Vamplew, Peter

  • Authors: Achterbosch, Leigh , Miller, Charlynn , Vamplew, Peter
  • Date: 2017
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Behaviour and Information Technology Vol. 36, no. 8 (2017), p. 846-860
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  • Description: There is an anti-social phenomenon known as griefing that occurs in online games. Griefing refers to the act of one player intentionally disrupting another player’s game experience for personal pleasure and possibly potential gain. Achterbosch [2015. “Causes, Magnitude and Implications of Griefing in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games.” PhD thesis, Faculty of Science and Technology, Federation University Australia] carried out a substantial two-phase mixed method investigation into the behaviour and experiences of both griefers and griefed players in massively multiplayer online role-playing games. The first phase consisted of a survey that attracted 1188 participants of a representative player population. The second phase consisted of interviews with 15 participants to expand the findings with more personalised data. The data were analysed from the perspectives of different demographics and different associations to griefing. One of the most unique findings is the factors that motivated a player to cause grief to another player. This paper analyses these factors to propose a taxonomy of ‘Griefer’ types (griefer being the individual who imposes upon others). The taxonomy consisted of eight types of griefers, based on their motivation for griefing. Some types related to previous studies, although new types of griefers were discovered such as the retaliator and elitist and these are discussed in detail in the article. © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.