Informed Consent

You are invited to participate in a research study entitled: Personalizing, Adapting, and Balancing Computer Games

Researcher: Dr. Regan Mandryk, Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science, University of Saskatchewan, 306-966-4888, regan@cs.usask.ca

Purpose and Objective of the Research: The purpose of this project is to understand how people manage gaming and working boundaries on Discord.

Procedures: In this study, you will be asked to complete a survey, asking you some questions about yourself. This survey should take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete.

Funded by: The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

Potential Risks: There are no known or anticipated risks to you by participating in this research.

Potential Benefits: Your participation will help us to design gaming communication systems.

Compensation: To thank you for participating, we offer you the chance to enter into a draw with a 1/50 chance of winning a $100 gift card. Upon completion, you will be redirected to a new survey to enter the draw to maintain anonymity in your responses. 

Confidentiality: 
  • Confidentiality will be maintained throughout the study. The entire process and data will be anonymized.  Data will only be presented in the aggregate and any individual user comments will be anonymized prior to presentation in academic venues.
  • Only the principal researcher and her research assistants will have access to the data to ensure that your confidentiality is protected.
  • Storage of Data
    • Data (including survey and interview responses, logs of computer use, and videos of interaction) will be stored on a secure password-protected server for 7 years after data collection.
      After 7 years, the data will be destroyed. Paper data will be shredded and digital data will be wiped from hard disks beyond any possibility for data recovery.
Right to Withdraw: 
  • Your participation is voluntary and you can answer only those questions that you are comfortable with.  You may withdraw from the research project for any reason, at any time without explanation or penalty of any sort.
  • Should you wish to withdraw, you may do so at any point without penalty, and we will not use your data; we will destroy all records of your data immediately.
  •  Your right to withdraw data from the study will apply until the data have been aggregated (one week after study completion). After this date, it is possible that some form of research dissemination will have already occurred and it may not be possible to withdraw your data.
Follow-up: To obtain results from the study, please contact Dr. Regan Mandryk (regan@cs.usask.ca).

Questions or Concerns: 
  • Contact the researcher(s) using the information at the top of page 1;
  • This research project has been approved on ethical grounds by the University of Saskatchewan Research Ethics Board.  Any questions regarding your rights as a participant may be addressed to that committee through the Research Ethics Office ethics.office@usask.ca (306) 966-2975. Out of town participants may call toll free (888) 966-2975.
By completing and submitting this questionnaire, your free and informed consent is implied and indicates that you understand the above conditions of participation in this study.

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