Post by Morreion on Jan 22, 2015 18:41:56 GMT -5
MMOs and gaming psychology, part one: The research (Massively)
...Part of this is because MMOs are a unique, joint activity. We're separate, but we're tasked with working together with limited communication means and (often) not expected to be able to complete the task alone. We don't have to make small talk; we can focus on the activity, and that's exactly what researchers expect: for us to be playing the game. If we want to chat, we have that option too, but we're not all there just to "beat the game" as it were (though as MMOs emphasize more single player experiences, we may be seeing this change and affect the community). What's sometimes forgotten is we have roleplayers, too. We have explorers. We have lore-fiends. We're not all jumping on hamster wheels grinding out skills, trying to beat the Skinner Box.
This is an important distinction because, scientifically, the research has moved beyond "what do games do to people." Despite what most (non-gaming) people want to believe, games don't "do" anything to people. As they do in many hobbies, some people just get too caught up in the details and seem "addicted." That's why modern research now focuses on what people do with these games. If people are using them to socialize, and they are, then we have to look at the positives as well as the negatives. Keep that in mind for part two next when Dr. Kowert allows me to pick her brain a little! For now, here's some further reading if you're interested in academic papers on the topic.
MMOs and gaming psychology, part two: Interview with a researcher (Massively)
Games as places, not tools
Like other researchers we've interviewed, Dr. Kowert considers MMOs social environments, not just simple tools. "Online games share elements of various different social environments," she writes. "On the one hand, [they are] akin to any other social club that centers around a shared activity. People get together, hang out with old friends and meet new ones (there is a fantastic 2006 paper by Steinkuehler and Williams that discusses how MMOs specifically have become new 'third places')." In other words, MMOs are like your local bar or coffee shop, just online and filled with elves and space goats.
That doesn't mean they're wholly positive spaces. Kowert also likens MMOs to themeparks and how some people experience something like "being alone together." As she puts it, "without direct interaction, you still feel like you are with others and [are] having a shared experience." This isn't a jab at themepark fans; if anything, it's a bit of a jab at solo players in multiplayer games, but it does show that these players do want a social experience, even if it's a bit different from what some might consider a traditional social experience (for those of you who haven't been listening to their arguments).
In terms of positive social interaction, Kowert believes that games are unique in their ability to promote socialization due to the fact they are both social and playful activities. For example, like other online environments, such as chat rooms, "online games are social spaces where friendships often develop. However, unlike other spaces, they are centrally characterized by shared, playful, and often novel activities. This is key, as these shared activities contribute to the formation of long-lasting, highly intimate friendship bonds not traditionally found in other mediated spaces."
...Part of this is because MMOs are a unique, joint activity. We're separate, but we're tasked with working together with limited communication means and (often) not expected to be able to complete the task alone. We don't have to make small talk; we can focus on the activity, and that's exactly what researchers expect: for us to be playing the game. If we want to chat, we have that option too, but we're not all there just to "beat the game" as it were (though as MMOs emphasize more single player experiences, we may be seeing this change and affect the community). What's sometimes forgotten is we have roleplayers, too. We have explorers. We have lore-fiends. We're not all jumping on hamster wheels grinding out skills, trying to beat the Skinner Box.
This is an important distinction because, scientifically, the research has moved beyond "what do games do to people." Despite what most (non-gaming) people want to believe, games don't "do" anything to people. As they do in many hobbies, some people just get too caught up in the details and seem "addicted." That's why modern research now focuses on what people do with these games. If people are using them to socialize, and they are, then we have to look at the positives as well as the negatives. Keep that in mind for part two next when Dr. Kowert allows me to pick her brain a little! For now, here's some further reading if you're interested in academic papers on the topic.
MMOs and gaming psychology, part two: Interview with a researcher (Massively)
Games as places, not tools
Like other researchers we've interviewed, Dr. Kowert considers MMOs social environments, not just simple tools. "Online games share elements of various different social environments," she writes. "On the one hand, [they are] akin to any other social club that centers around a shared activity. People get together, hang out with old friends and meet new ones (there is a fantastic 2006 paper by Steinkuehler and Williams that discusses how MMOs specifically have become new 'third places')." In other words, MMOs are like your local bar or coffee shop, just online and filled with elves and space goats.
That doesn't mean they're wholly positive spaces. Kowert also likens MMOs to themeparks and how some people experience something like "being alone together." As she puts it, "without direct interaction, you still feel like you are with others and [are] having a shared experience." This isn't a jab at themepark fans; if anything, it's a bit of a jab at solo players in multiplayer games, but it does show that these players do want a social experience, even if it's a bit different from what some might consider a traditional social experience (for those of you who haven't been listening to their arguments).
In terms of positive social interaction, Kowert believes that games are unique in their ability to promote socialization due to the fact they are both social and playful activities. For example, like other online environments, such as chat rooms, "online games are social spaces where friendships often develop. However, unlike other spaces, they are centrally characterized by shared, playful, and often novel activities. This is key, as these shared activities contribute to the formation of long-lasting, highly intimate friendship bonds not traditionally found in other mediated spaces."
