I have gotten two observation sessions in the atrium done already. One I did from 11:55a-12:15p on a Tuesday, and one from 10:20a-10:40a on a Wednesday. Right away, I noticed a huge numbers difference between the two times. The Wednesday session was a lot busier than the Tuesday session. When I counted the amount of people sitting at various times during the Tuesday session, the numbers never went over 8 people. However, when I tried to count the people during the Wednesday session, I had to give a more general estimate because the amount of people mixed with the flow of traffic made it impossible to get an exact number. I was able to count up to 50 people before I lost track and couldn't count properly anymore. Around 10:30 on Wednesday, foot traffic decreased a lot, and those present consisted of 11 on laptops or doing homework, 6 of them on their phones, and almost all of them socializing with others around them. On Tuesday, 7 were on laptops or doing homework, 5 were on phones,...
Honestly, I could pick from a lot of different discourse communities. Though, everyone could. The one I want to focus on is the dnd (Dungeons & Dragons) players of the world. At first, I wasn't too sure if this would be considered a discourse community, but with some thought I concluded that it is. Dnd have their own phrases and terms not found anywhere else. Not just anyone on the street is going to know what a dexterity saving throw is for. Plus, the entire premise of the game is playing characters who have to analyze situations and make choices on how to proceed. It’s like fantasy football… or perhaps it isn’t. I don’t actually know how fantasy football works. Furthermore, preparation for a campaign and each session takes a lot of communication and planning among the dm and players. Now, dnd can be classified under geeks and nerds, both of which are increasingly becoming badges of honor rather than offensive labels. However, most dnd players can still be stereotyped...