Online Survey Consent Form

You are being asked to participate in a research study conducted by a doctoral candidtate at the University of Hawaii at Manoa with extensive personal experience with otome games and digital relationships. This research will be conducted under the supervision of a fulltime faculty advisor and full dissertation committee comprised of current and emeritus faculty from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. The results of this survey will contribute to final dissertation research.

 

What am I being asked to do?

If you participate in this project, you will be asked to fill out a survey. 

 

Taking part in this study is your choice.

Your participation in this project is completely voluntary. You may stop participating at any time. If you stop being in the study, there will be no penalty or loss to you. 

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Why is this study being done?

The purpose of my project is to explore the concepts of play, deep play, and dark play within digital relationships, examining how virtual environments act as stages for both innocent fantasies and subversive interactions. The study focuses on dating sims (i.e., otome, eroge games) and AI-driven chatbots, investigating how these platforms blur boundaries between fantasy and reality in intimate relationships. I am asking you to participate because you are an adult (age 18 and over), have experience with or interest in datings sims (i.e., otome, eroge games) and/or AI chatbots and understand and communicate in English. If you have no experience dating sims or AI chatbots you may also participate.

 

What will happen if I decide to take part in this study?

The survey will consist of up to 25 multiple choice and open-ended questions. How long it takes will depend on your answers but can take up to 20-25 minutes. The survey questions will include questions like, “How often do you typically interact with your companion(s)?” “Do you seek intimate relationships in real life (IRL)?” The survey is accessed on a website to which I will provide you a link.

 

What are the risks and benefits of taking part in this study?

I believe there is little risk to you for participating in this research project. You may become stressed or uncomfortable answering any of the survey questions. If you do become stressed or uncomfortable, you can skip the question or take a break. You can also stop taking the survey or you can withdraw from the project altogether. 

 

There will be no direct benefit to you for participating in this survey. The results of this project may help contribute to the understanding of digital relationships and their impact on society, the advancement of theoretical frameworks in performance studies and digital relationship research as well as provide insight for game developers and AI designers to create more ethical digital platforms.

 

Results of Research:

Findings of this research will be presented in the doctoral dissertation and potentially published in relevant academic journals and/or presented in whole or in part at academic conferences. Because this survey is anonymous, we are unable to disclose the results directly with participants, as collecting personal details for disclosure would compromise your privacy.

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Confidentiality and Privacy:

I will not ask you for any personal information, such as your name or address. Please do not include any personal information in your survey responses. I will keep all study data secure in a locked filing cabinet in a locked office/encrypted on a password protected computer. Only my University of Hawai'i advisor and I will have access to the information. Other agencies that have legal permission have the right to review research records. The University of Hawai'i Human Studies Program has the right to review research records for this study.

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Compensation:

Because this survey is anonymous, we cannot offer compensation, as collecting personal details for payment or compensation would compromise your privacy.

 

Future Research Studies: 

The data from this study will not be used or distributed for future research studies.  

Questions: If you have any questions about this study, please contact us through the contact page on this site. Please visit http://go.hawaii.edu/jRd for more information on your rights as a research participant.  

 

To Access the Survey: Please go to the survey page on this site.

 

Going to the first page of the survey implies your consent to participate in this study. 

 

Please print or save a copy of this page for your reference.

 

 

Mahalo!