PUBLICATIONS • PRESENTATIONS • WORKS IN PROGRESS OR UNDER REVIEW

My research focuses on the social and economic impacts of new media. In particular, I study the effects of various kinds of Internet and video games. My current projects include a study of networked game players and whether or not their social settings and contexts moderate the effects.

PUBLICATIONS

Williams, D., N. Yee & S. Caplan (2008, in press). Who Plays, How Much, and Why? A Behavioral Player Census of Virtual World. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication.	Pre-publication version
Williams, D. & L. Xiong (2008, in press). Herding Cats Online: Challenges in Deriving a Sample from Online Communities. In Hargittai, E. (Ed.). Research Methods from the Trenches: The Nitty-Gritty of Empirical Social Science Research. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press.	Pre-publication version
Williams, D., S. Caplan & L. Xiong (2007). Can You Hear Me Now? The Impact of Voice in an Online Gaming Community. Human Communication Research. 33, p. 427-449.	PDF (72 KB)
Williams, D. (2007). The Impact of Time Online: Social Capital and Cyberbalkanization. CyberPsychology & Behavior. 8, p. 580–584.	Pre-publication version
Williams, D. (2007). Afterword: The Return of the Player. In Selfe, C. & Hawisher, G. (Eds.) Gaming Lives in the 21st Century: Literate Connections. New York: Palgrave Macmillian.	Buy from Amazon
Williams, D. (2006). Groups and Goblins: The Social and Civic Impact of Online Gaming. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media. 50(4), p. 651-670.	Journal site
Williams, D., N. Ducheneaut, L. Xiong, Y. Zhang, N. Yee & E. Nickell (2006). From tree house to barracks: The social life of guilds in World of Warcraft. Games & Culture, 1(4), p. 338-361.	Journal site
Steinkuehler, C. & D. Williams (2006). Where Everybody Knows Your (Screen) Name: Online Games as 'Third Places.' Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. 11(4).	Available here
Williams, D. (2006) A (Brief) Social History of Video Games. In Vorderer, P & Bryant, J. (Eds.) Playing Computer Games: Motives, Responses, and Consequences. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.	Word (311 KB)
Williams, D. (2006). On and off the 'net: Scales for social capital in an online era. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11(2), article 11.	Available here.
Williams, D. (2006). Virtual Cultivation: Online Worlds, Offline Perceptions. Journal of Communication. 56(1), p. 69-87.	PDF (137 KB)
Williams, D. (2006). Why Game Studies Now? Gamers Don't Bowl Alone. Games & Culture.1(1), p. 13-16.	PDF (43 KB)
Williams, D. (2005). Bridging the Methodological Divide in Game Research. Simulation & Gaming. 36(4), p. 447-463.	PDF (103 KB)
Williams, D. & Skoric, M. (2005). Internet Fantasy Violence: A Test of Aggression in an Online Game. Communication Monographs, 22(2), p. 217-233.	PDF (112 KB)
Valentino, N., Hutchings, V., & Williams, D. (2004). Advertising and the Architecture of Political Judgment: Consequences for Knowledge, Information Seeking, and Candidate Preference. Journal of Communication. 54(2), p. 337-354.	PDF (105 KB)
Williams, D. (2003). The Video Game Lightning Rod: Constructions of a New Media Technology, 1970-2000. Information, Communication and Society, 6 (4), p. 523-550.	PDF (2.6MB)
Williams, D. (2002). Synergy Bias: Conglomerates and Promotion in the News. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 46(3), p.453-472.	PDF (900KB)
Williams, D. (2002). A Structural Analysis of Market Competition in the U.S. Home Video Game Industry. International Journal on Media Management, 4(1), p. 41-54.	PDF (270KB)

Book reviews

Williams, D. (2003). The Medium of the Video Game by Mark J.P. Wolf. Popular Communication. 1(4), p. 251-253.

PDF (43KB)

Dissertation

Dissertation: “Trouble in River City: The Social Life of Video Games.” • Field experiment, content analysis, participant observation and historical study of game effects and sociopolitical factors. • Defended, December 11, 2003. Awards • ICA Biennial Herbert S. Dordick Dissertation Award • NCA Miller Dissertation Award

Word file (11MB)

PRESENTATIONS

Wotal, B., Green, H., Williams, D. & Contractor, N. (2006, April 25-30). “WoW!: The Dynamics of Knowledge Networks in Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG).” Sunbelt XXVI International Sunbelt Social Network Conference. Vancouver, British Columbia.

Williams, D. (2005, June 24). “The Social Impact of Online Games.” Games, Learning and Society Conference. Madison, Wisconsin.

Steinkuehler, C. & Williams, D. (2005, June 19). “Where Everybody Knows Your (Screen) Name: The Third Place in Online Games.” DiGRA Conference. Vancouver, B.C.

Williams, D. (2005, June 17). “A Brief Social History of Video Games.” DiGRA Conference. Vancouver, B.C.

Williams, D. (2005, May 27). “Virtual Cultivation: Online Worlds, Offline Perceptions.” International Communication Association Conference. New York City, New York.

Williams, D. (2005, March 8). “What Academic Can and Can’t Tell You About Your Games.” Game Developers Conference. San Francisco, California. [Roundtable Panel]

Williams, D. (2003, November 22). “The Social Impact of an Online Game.” National Communications Association Conference, Miami Beach, Florida.

Williams, D. (2003, October 18). “Bridging, Bonding and Slaying the Evil Foo: Social Capital in an Online Game.” Association of Internet Researchers Annual Conference 4.0, Toronto, Ontario.

Williams, D. & Skoric, M. (2003, July 30). “Massively Mulitplayer Mayhem: Aggression in an Online Game.” Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference. Kansas City, Missouri.

Knobloch, S., Keplinger, C. & Williams, D. (2003, July 30). “Thrilling News: Factors Generating Suspense During News Exposure.” Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference. Kansas City, Missouri.

Williams, D. (2003, May 27). “Gains and Losses Online and Off: Bridging and Bonding Social Capital in Weak- and Strong-tie Networks.” International Communication Association Conference. San Diego, California.

Williams, D. (2002, July 17). “Structure and Competition in the U.S. Home Video Game Industry.” Presented at the International Communications Association Conference. Seoul, South Korea.
Top Three Paper Award, Communication and Technology Division.

Valentino, N. Hutchings, V. & Williams, D. (2002, April 26). “Advertising and the Architecture of Political Judgment: Consequences for Knowledge, Information Seeking, and Candidate Preference.” Presented at the Midwest Political Science Association Conference. Chicago, Illinois.

Williams, D. (2002, April 4). “Media Constructions of Video Games, 1970-2000.” Presented at the ESRC Playing With the Future Conference. Manchester, England.

Valentino, N., Hutchings, V., Philpot, T., & Williams, D. (2001, August 30). “When Enough is Enough, and When It Isn’t: Political Advertising, Partisan Threat, and Selective Information Seeking on the Internet.” Presented at the American Political Science Association. San Francisco, California.

Williams, D. (2001, May 27). “Bots and e-commerce: Fluid Markets and the Death of Retail?” Presented at the International Communications Association Conference. Washington, D.C.

Williams, D. (1999, October). “Synergy Bias: A Content Analysis of Evening Network News Examining Parent-Company Influence.” Presented at the Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research. Chicago, Illinois.
Top Three Student Paper Award.
(Revision presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Phoenix, Arizona, August, 2000)  

WORKS IN PROGRESS OR UNDER REVIEW

MMO census, profile and economics project, in conjunction with Sony Online	In progress
Game character census	In progress

Back to home