ontological bleed : artifact release form

ontological bleed : research creation masters thesis

consent form ○ artifact release form

Project Title: ontological bleed: player identification and the blurred borders of fictional worlds in interface investigation games

This research is being undertaken to provide insights into how a player may experience their own identity in a fictional game where they are expected to play as themselves, and contribute any discoveries back into game studies and fiction discourse.

5-30 human participants are necessary as part of the playtesting process, to find bugs in the software, to discover if the story is being understood, and how you are emotionally affected by it. Insights you help discover will be analyzed and included in the research paper, and will be used to improve future versions of the game. This research is being completed by a graduate student in partial completion of their degree, and the results will contribute to their MFA thesis.

The game prototype may be developed beyond the scope of the thesis project. It may be included in future exhibits, and released commercially, for free or for a fee. If you consent, objects you generate as part of the playtest can be donated back to the project to be used for any of these purposes.

If you’re not eligible under these conditions, you are still welcome to play the game, but your feedback will not be included.

ARTIFACT RELEASE

As a participant, you will be asked to play a narrative game and provide feedback about it. Playtesting involves using a Windows application, and will require a few common materials such as paper and pens. Your playthrough, audio recordings narrating your experience, or documentations of any artifacts you created during gameplay are all very welcome contributions to the research! If you’re interested in having the artifacts you make included in future versions of the game, please be sure to let us know on this consent form.

If you’d like, you may donate artifacts you make while you play back to be used in future versions of the project, either as media items in the database or physical items in the installation. If you’d like to be credited as a contributor to this project, be sure to include the name you’d like to be credited as!

Artifacts donated to the exhibition or software can be removed if they were submitted with contact information. The artifacts may be replaced with something similar to the original. If you donate anything you expect to be returned, it’s your responsibility to arrange pick up for it at the time of donation.

RISKS

There are minimal risks associated Donation of materials does not guarantee they will be used in future iterations of the game or in the research study. These materials may be disposed of at any time.

It is your responsibility to arrange for the return of materials loaned to the project at the end of the study in May 2026. Please contact gblekkenhorst@ocadu.ca to make arrangements.

There is a possibility that items loaned to the project may be damaged during public exhibition or while in storage. Researchers are not responsible for lost or damaged items, so please use your discretion.

INCENTIVES FOR PARTICIPATION

Participants will not be paid or otherwise tangibly rewarded for participating in this study or donating game assets. Your only incentive is your own curiosity.

VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION

PUBLICATION OF RESULTS

Results of this study may be published in the students theses, and potentially future reports, professional and scholarly journals, presentations to conferences. The game itself may be released commercially or for free, presented at conferences and festivals or presented in a gallery context. In any publication, data will be presented in aggregate forms. Quotations from interviews or surveys will not be attributed.

Feedback about this study will be available on the project website, where you can subscribe to the mailing list for future updates.

Data collected as a part of this study may be retained by researchers for further analysis on similar projects, or extensions of this specific project. It may be retained for a minimum of three years. Artifacts donated to the project may be destroyed or discarded at any time with certain exceptions agreed on in advance.

CONTACT INFORMATION AND ETHICS CLEARANCE

If you have any questions about this study or require further information, please ask. If you have questions later about the research, you may contact the Principal Investigator g blekkenhorst at (gblekkenhorst@ocadu.ca) or the Faculty Supervisor Dr Cindy Poremba (cporemba@ocadu.ca). This study has been reviewed and received ethics clearance through the Research Ethics Board at OCAD University REB 102788.

If you have questions regarding your rights as a participant in this study please contact:

If you wish to receive further updates about the project, you may visit the project website and subscribe to the mailing list.

PROJECT LINKS

Trigger warnings - https://blekkenhorst.ca/bleed/warnings.html
Consent Form - https://blekkenhorst.ca/bleed/consent.html

ARTIFACT INCLUSION

Some playtests will involve the creation of physical or digital artifacts. These may include notes, drawings, even small crafts. These artifacts may be retained and used in future iterations of the project if they are provided to the researchers after playtest.

The game may eventually be released commercially for a fee. Please choose all that apply:

AGREEMENT

I agree to participate in this study described above. I have made this decision based on the information I have read in the Information-Consent Letter. I have had the opportunity to receive any additional details I wanted about the study and understand that I may ask questions in the future. I understand that I may withdraw this consent at any time.