Tom Shrimplin

Tom Shrimplin

What does Coproduction mean to you?  

So I use it quite a lot of but with a focus on core ideas like collude, co produce and constitute and so for me it's sort of based a lot on assemblage thinking. People such as Deluuze and Guattari and looking at how the non human in these interactions can create assemblage, and basically looking at the relations between them all and how they are sort of cooperate. I think a lot about assemblages you find in everyday life so for my research specifically I’ll be the focusing on the geopolitical and  ludic assemblages around video gaming. 

How have you used this in your work?  

I'm looking at young gamers and the ways they're involved in politics, mostly it's tending to be towards small P politics and looking at how Games are political in that sense. I also look at how young people co produce geopolitics, and are cool constitutive of geopolitics, through playing these games and through interacting with the Community. I’m aiming to look at several spaces, so online spaces and fingers crossed in the future offline spaces offline! Venues like gaming cafes and gaming events both online and on the ground and also looking at the social effects of being part of these processes.

What other methods did you use in your work? How did these fit with your interest in coproduction?  

My methods are informed quite a lot by assemblage thinking, I guess it's kind of hard to generalize my research methods, as they also changing and evolving over time. But I guess in short sort of a qualitative ethnographic approach and so I’m looking at these different aspects of assemblages that I’m talking about in my research with young people. Mostly I’m using standard semi structured interviews online and basically just talking with people about their experiences with gaming and their interactions and efforts around politics. And then I’m using gaming interviews, where I play with them and]: This we don't talk about the sort of broader stuff we just talked about in game stuff like; how do you play it? and how do you make sure what comes to us what what's your strategy in the game and look at the sort of materiality around that. So that's looking at the video gaming aspect, and then the final bit is looking at the video gaming community and so that's basically just ethnography in spaces, where the gaming community is found so tends to be online forums, gaming streams and cafes and other venues like that as well. 

Who or what inspires you in coproduction?  

I have a range of influences that have kind of guided me towards my research. Jason Dittmer is one big one, because he used assemblage and geopolitics and is used around popular geopolitics. As well, and so a lot of my stuff's kind of informed by assemblage. I guess I’m also kind of influenced a lot about by feminist politics work and, like looking at this embodied of nature of geopolitics, more of the everyday stuff so people like Joanne Sharp, Jennifer Hyman. And then the also elements of Tara Bridges stuff around play has a big influence. Obviously there’s also Dan Boss who's done the video games before and James Ash who does a lot of phenomenology.  

What challenges have you faced in using coproduction? 

So obviously the big one is coronavirus has definitely had an impact, and I think I’m lucky compared to most researchers in that it's easier to move my stuff online, because a lot of the Community I’m talking to online! But definitely some things I am starting to realize is how difficult it is with recruitment because you can't put posters around and people will see the posters, and so you have to try and build your online presence. So my original plan was to sort of go to gaming venues game and cafes build rapport with participants, as I do ethnography with them and then have the chance to do interviews with them, obviously that's not possible at the moment and so that's definitely hindered research. 

But I guess in terms of the more general stuff,  Is kind of is going to be difficult to find participants who will be who will be able to do with not necessarily in terms of time, but. Obviously, some people have computers, some people have consoles and there's this sort of material kind of can we actually play with each other cross platform it's sort of sort of the equipment and it's going to be quite tricky. Because there might be people who are more than happy to help out but they can't because we can't play with each other and so that's going to be quite difficult to figure out and manage. In the grand scheme of thing there is isn't really that much money for equipment, which I do kind of find quite strange considering there isn't much traveling going on at the moment, why can't we use the money that we would normally use for travel for equipment instead to make online research a lot easier? 

What do you wish you’d known before starting research that uses coproduction?  

I wish, someone had told me there’s was going to be a pandemic!  

I guess I wish someone told me how it goes through peaks and troughs and how at certain points you can be totally fine and everything's going great. And then the next day, some just a small thing can take it completely off kilter in the rest of day. I guess the other thing I have found quite tricky is the transition from stopping doing literature reviews and writing those all up, to actually starting fieldwork and the practicalities towards that, because it is quite tricky to get all your eggs in order! And you know there isn't really much support in that aspect, at least in my opinion, I'm not sure if it's like that for everyone else! I guess it depends on how they did research in undergrad or their masters, but for me personally, I didn't feel like there was much of support geared around moving from the theoretical aspect of doing a PhD towards the practical aspect. I understand a lot of it is because you're an independent researcher you've got to do all this yourself, but at the same time, sometimes it might be more helpful just to have a slight guiding hand not necessarily pointing you in a direction but just making sure you know if you’re going off track!  And making sure you know how to do an interview property or you what recruitment poster should look like that kind of stuff I guess to kind of go off of I think that would really help. 

Because they are actually really important, because if you don't have these small things if you don't have this Dictaphone or a laptop or if you don't have this USB stick, or you don't have a recruitment poster you're not going to get your research done yet there's barely anything about it. 

Why do you use coproduction? What was your path to this pedagogy?  

I guess it was just combination of factors so, I did a research on geopolitics and video gaming in my undergrad and I again in y Masters so it kind of made sense to build on stuff I’ve already done for and then do for a PhD. And then obviously I came to my research and basically my research is kind of just informed by stuff I read and really enjoyed! and for okay so where Can I take this forward, how can I build on this. Supply so like all the people I was talking about before I really enjoyed that work and i'm like Okay, how can I make this work towards my research. How can I build on this understanding and really make an original piece of research that I think is great, and a piece of research that I’m proud of and publishing. Just kind of building out my own personal interests in video gaming and then attaching it to my academic interest in this template. 

Ironically My research is kind of moved around the game itself and the actual people who play them. Which is kind of an interesting development but i'm like. yeah like a really interesting development being that i'm.i'm so moved away from the soul political geography, that I kind of started in and it's gone towards myself, cultural or social geography mood. But at the same time it's not a bad thing it's still links heavily with my original intentions but it's definitely gone down a different route, but again like I said before, you've kind of got to into the field and see where your research takes you. 

Any advice you would give to someone interested in using coproduction?  

I guess, the first thing I’d say is make sure you keep your work life balance, treat it as a nine to five job that's what my supervisors always tell me and is something I do try and stick to as well! Sometimes you can, especially when it comes to field work and you might have to do something on the Saturday, because that's 20 participants or three, but I think time trying. As much as possible, just try and keep to a sort of schedule. And don't let this PhD consume your life. 

I think that's something that comes about from being in this academic bubble, and especially if you're an Undergrad and then do a Masters and then it goes to into a PhD.  While I’ve had a year out, so I’ve got a bit of a sense of perspective and knowing okay, and isn't the end of the world if something goes wrong!  

Make it as enjoyable as possible for yourself just do as much read stuff you find interesting. And don't be afraid to like just follow the trail and you might find something that's really, really interesting and you want to incorporate in your research. And then, on the other hand, you might be into something that you would enjoy a lot, and then you look into it and say nope! This does not work for me and that's totally fine as well you know, it's your research at the end of the day. Just make sure it's something that you can be proud of, I guess my biggest advice to anyone who decides to do a PhD research at the end of the day is it's for you! Obviously you may publish book chapters or academic journals outside of it, but this pieces as may not to be read by that many people, unless it's like one of those outstanding wonders! I know a few I know there are few pieces that have, made a huge impact! But by and large the this thesis is just sort of encapsulates the process of you becoming a Post Grad researcher, it's all the stuff you do around it, I think is where the true value of doing a PhD is.