Advertisement

Video Games Are Not Socially Isolating

  • Rachel Kowert
  • Linda K. Kaye
Chapter
First Online:

Abstract

Since their popularization, video games have developed a reputation for being antisocial spaces. However, this is somewhat contrary to the wealth of social opportunities and functions which contemporary gaming offers, as well as what much of the research in the area suggests. This chapter will outline the key claims and draw on research findings from the academic literature, in order to debunk much of these anecdotal and old-fashioned conceptualizations of what gaming is and who gamers are. This will include a discussion of the various ways in which gaming can be experienced socially, the effects of social play, and how these effects may vary depending on the specific type of game and context of play.

Keywords

Video games violence social skills social learning well-being 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

References

  1. Adachi, P. J. C., Hodson, G., & Hoffarth, M. R. (2015). Video game play and intergroup relations: Real world implications for prejudice and discrimination. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 25, 227–236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. Cairns, P., Cox, A. L., Day, M., Martin, M., & Perryman, T. (2013). Who but not where: The effect of social play on immersion in digital games. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 71(11), 1069–1077.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Caplan, S., Williams, D., & Yee, N. (2009). Problematic Internet use and psychosocial well-being among MMO players. Computers in Human Behavior, 25(6), 1312–1319.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2009.06.006CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Chappell, D., Eatough, V., Davies, M. N., & Griffiths, M. D. (2006). EverQuest: It’s just a computer game right? An interpretative phenomenological analysis of online gaming addiction. International Journal of Mental Health Addiction, 4, 205–216.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-006-9028-6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Chen, M. (2009). Communication, coordination, and camaraderie in world of Warcraft. Games and Culture, 4(1), 47–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Cole, H., & Griffiths, M. D. (2007). Social interactions in massively multiplayer online role-playing games. Cyberpsychology and Behavior, 10(4), 575–583.  https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2007.9988CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  7. Collins, E., & Freeman, J. (2013). Do problematic and non-problematic video game players differ in extraversion, trait empathy, social capital and prosocial tendencies? Computers in Human Behavior, 29, 1933–1940.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.03.002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. Domahidi, E., Festl, R., & Quandt, T. (2014). To dwell among gamers: Investigating the relationship between social online game use and gaming-related friendships. Computers in Human Behavior, 35, 107–115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. Ducheneaut, N., Yee, N., Nickell, E., & Moore, R. (2006). “Alone together?”: Exploring the social dynamics of massively multiplayer online games. In SIGCHI conference on human factors in computing systems. New York, NY: ACM.Google Scholar
  10. Durkin, K., & Barber, B. (2002). Not so doomed: Computer game play and positive adolescent development. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 23(4), 373–392.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  11. Entertainment Software Association. (2015). 2015 essential facts about the computer and video game industry.Google Scholar
  12. Gajadhar, B. J., de Kort, Y. A. W., IJsselsteijn, W. A., & Poels, K. (2009, October). Where everybody knows your game: The appeal and function of game cafes in Western Europe. Paper presented at the International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology, Athens, Greece.Google Scholar
  13. Griffiths, M. D., Davies, M. N. O., & Chappell, D. (2004). Demographic factors and playing variables in online computer gaming. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 7, 479–487.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. Grooten, J., & Kowert, R. (2015). Going beyond the game: Development of gamer identities within societal discourse and virtual spaces. Loading…, 9(14), 70–87.Google Scholar
  15. Gunawardena, C., & Zittle, F. (1997). Social presence as a predictor of satisfaction within a computer-mediated conferencing environment. American Journal of Distance Education, 11(3), 8–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. Haslam, S. A., Jetten, J., Postmes, T., & Haslam, C. (2009). Social identity, health and well-being: An emerging agenda for applied psychology. Applied Psychology, 58(1), 1–23.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597-2008-00379.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  17. Haythornthwaite, C. (2005). Social networks and Internet connectivity effects. Information, Communication, & Society, 8(2), 125–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. Joinson, A. (2001). Self-disclosure in computer-mediated communication: The role of self-awareness and visual anonymity. European Journal of Social Psychology, 31, 177–192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  19. Kaye, L. K. (2014). Football manager as a persuasive game for social identity formation. In D. Ruggiero (Ed.), Cases of societal effects of persuasive games (pp. 1–17). IGI Global.  https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-6206-3.ch001
  20. Kaye, L. K. (2016). Exploring flow experiences in cooperative digital gaming contexts. Computers in Human Behavior, 55, 286–291.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.09.023CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. Kaye, L. K., & Bryce, J. (2014). Go with the flow: The experience and affective outcomes of solo versus social gameplay. Journal of Gaming and Virtual Worlds, 6(1), 49–60.  https://doi.org/10.1386/jgvw.6.1.49_1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  22. Kaye, L. K., Kowert, R., & Quinn, S. (2017). The role of social identity and online social capital on psychosocial outcomes in MMO players. Computers in Human Behavior, 74, 215–223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. Kaye, L. K., Monk, R., Wall, H., Hamlin, I., & Qureshi, A. W. (2017). The effect of real-time flow and context on in-vivo positive mood in digital gaming. Revised manuscript under review in International Journal of Human-Computer Studies.Google Scholar
  24. Kowert, R. (2015). Video games and social competence. New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
  25. Kowert, R. (2016). Social outcomes: Online game play, social currency, and social ability. In R. Kowert & T. Quandt (Eds.), The video game debate: Unravelling the physical, social, and psychological effects of digital games (pp. 94–115). New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
  26. Kowert, R., Domahidi, E., & Quandt, T. (2014). The relationship between online video game involvement and gaming-related friendships among emotionally sensitive individuals. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.  https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2013.0656
  27. Kowert, R., Griffiths, M. D., & Oldmeadow, J. A. (2012). Geek or chic? Emerging stereotypes of online gamers. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 32(6), 471–479.  https://doi.org/10.1177/0270467612469078CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. Kowert, R., & Oldmeadow, J. A. (2012). The stereotype of online gamers: New characterization or recycled prototype. In Nordic DiGRA: Games in culture and society conference proceedings. Tampere, Finland: DiGRA.Google Scholar
  29. Kowert, R., & Oldmeadow, J. A. (2014). Seeking social comfort online: Video game play as a social accommodator for the insecurely attached. Computers in Human Behavior.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.05.004
  30. Kowert, R., Vogelgesang, J., Festl, R., & Quandt, T. (2015). Psychosocial causes and consequences of online video game involvement. Computers in Human Behavior, 45, 51–58.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.11.074CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  31. Lemmens, J., Valkenburg, P., & Peter, J. (2011). Psychological causes and consequences of pathological gaming. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(1), 144–152.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.07.015CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  32. Lomanowska, A. M., & Guitton, M. J. (2012). Spatial proximity to others determines how humans inhabit virtual worlds. Computers in Human Behavior, 28, 318–323.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2011.09.015CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  33. McKenna, K., & Bargh, J. (2000). Plan 9 from cyberspace: The implications of the Internet for personality and social psychology. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4(1), 57–75.  https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327957PSPR0401_6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  34. Mehrabian, A. (1969). Some referents and measures of non-verbal behavior. Behavior Research Methods and Instrumentation, 1, 203–207.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  35. Moore, R., Ducheneaut, N., & Nickell, E. (2007). Doing virtually nothing: Awareness and accountability in massively multiplayer online worlds. Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 16(3), 265–305.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  36. Morahan-Martin, J., & Schumacher, P. (2003). Loneliness and social uses of the internet. Computers in Human Behavior, 19, 659–671.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  37. Patulny, R. V., & Svendsen, G. L. H. (2007). Exploring the social capital grid: Bonding, bridging, qualitative, quantitative. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 27(1-2), 32–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  38. Pena, J., & Hancock, J. T. (2006). An analysis of socioemotional and task communication in online multi-player video games. Communication Research, 33(1), 92–109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  39. Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: America’s declining social capital. In Culture and politics (pp. 223–234). Palgrave Macmillan, New York.Google Scholar
  40. Ramirez, A., & Zhang, S. (2007). When online meets offline: The effect of modality switching in relational communication. Communication Monographs, 74(3), 287–310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  41. Requena, F. (2003). Social capital, satisfaction and quality of life in the workplace. Social Indicators Research, 61, 331–360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  42. Rice, R. E., & Love, G. (1987). Electronic emotion. Communication Research, 14(1), 85–108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  43. Seibert, S. E., Kraimer, M. L., & Liden, R. C. (2001). A social capital theory of career success. Academy of Management Journal, 44(2), 219–237.Google Scholar
  44. Shen, C., & Williams, D. (2010). Unpacking time online: Connecting internet and massively multiplayer online game use with psychological well-being. Communication Research, 20(10), 1–27.  https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650210377196CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  45. Short, J., Williams, E., & Christie, B. (1976). The social psychology of telecommunications. London, UK: Wiley.Google Scholar
  46. Slouka, M. (1995). War of the worlds: Cyberspace and the high-tech assault on reality. New York, NY: Basic Books.Google Scholar
  47. Sproull, L., & Kiesler, S. (1986). Reducing social context cues: Electronic mail in organizational communication. Management Science, 32, 1492–1512.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  48. Steinkuehler, C., & Williams, D. (2006). Where everybody knows your (screen) name: Online games as “third places”. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11(4), 885–909.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  49. Suler, J. (2004). The online disinhibition effect. Cyberpsychology and Behavior, 7(3), 321–326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  50. Trepte, S., Reinecke, L., & Juechems, K. (2012). The social side of gaming: How playing online computer games creates online and offline social support. Computers in Human Behavior, 28, 832–839.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2011.12.003CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  51. Valkenburg, P. M., & Peter, J. (2007). Online communication and adolescent well-being. Testing the stimulation versus displacement hypothesis. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12, 1169–1182.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  52. Van Looy, J., Courtois, C., & de Vocht, M. (2010, September). Player identification in online games: Validation of a scale for measuring identification in MMORPGs. Paper presented at 3rd International Conference on Fun and Games, New York, NY.Google Scholar
  53. Vioda, A., & Greenberg, S. (2011). Console gaming across generations: Exploring intergenerational interactions in collocated console gaming. Universal Access in the Information Society. Retrieved from http://grouplab.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/grouplab/uploads/Publications/Publications/2011-IntergenerationalGaming.JUAIS.pdf
  54. Walther, J. (1996). Computer-mediated communication: Impersonal, interpersonal, and hyperpersonal interaction. Communication Research, 23(1), 3–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  55. Wellman, B., & Gulia, M. (1999). Net surfers don’t ride alone: Virtual communities as communities BT – Networks in the Global Village. In B. Wellman (Ed.), Networks in the global village (pp. 331–366). Boulder, CO: Westview.Google Scholar
  56. Williams, D. (2006). On and off the ‘net: Scales for social capital in an online era. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11(2), 593–628.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.00029.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  57. Williams, D., Ducheneaut, N., Xiong, L., Yee, N., & Nickell, E. (2006). From tree house to barracks. Games and Culture, 1(4), 338–361.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  58. Williams, E. (1977). Experimental comparisons of face-to-face and mediated communication: A review. Psychological Bulletin, 84(5), 963–976.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  59. Yee, N. (2006). The demographics, motivations, and derived experiences of users of massively-multi-user online graphical environments. Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 15(3), 309–329.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  60. Yee, N., & Bailenson, J. (2008). A method for longitudinal behavioral data collection in second life. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 17(6), 594–596.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018

Authors and Affiliations

  • Rachel Kowert
    • 1
  • Linda K. Kaye
    • 2
  1. 1.Department of CommunicationUniversity of MünsterMünsterGermany
  2. 2.Department of PsychologyEdge Hill UniversityLancashireUK

Personalised recommendations

Cite chapter

Buy options