第二篇：网络游戏态度调查报告(英文)

CYBERPSYCHOLOGY&BEHAVIORVolume12,Number6,2009?MaryAnnLiebert,Inc.

DOI:10.1089=cpb.2009.0059

TheAttitudes,Feelings,andExperiencesofOnlineGamers:AQualitativeAnalysis

ZaheerHussain,M.Sc.andMarkD.Grif?ths,Ph.D.

Abstract

Theplayingofmassivelymultiplayeronlinerole-playinggames(MMORPGs)isnowahighlypopularleisureactivity.Thepresentstudysetouttoexploretheattitudes,experiences,andfeelingsofonlinegamers.Thestudyentailed71interviewswithonlinegamers(52males,19females)from11differentcountries.Sixmainthemesemergedfromtheanalysesoftheinterviewtranscripts:(a)onlinegamingandintegrationintoday-to-daylives;(b)onlinegaming,excessiveplay,andproblems;(c)addiction;(d)psychosocialimpactofonlinegaming;(e)onlinegaming,dissociation,andtimeloss;and(f)onlinegamingandthealleviationofnegativefeelingsandmoodstates.These?ndingsspeci?callyshowedhowgamersusedMMORPGstoalleviatenegativefeelingsandprovideddetaileddescriptionsofpersonalproblemsthathadarisenduetoplayingMMORPGs.Theimplica-tionsofthese?ndingsarediscussedinrelationtopreviousqualitativeandquantitativeresearchinthearea.

Introduction

esearchintheareaofmassivelymultiplayeronlinerole-playinggames(MMORPGs)hasbeengrowingrapidly.Researchhasfocusedonthedemographicmakeupofgamers,1,2,3groupmembershipandguilddynamics,4socialmotivationsforplayinganddevelopmentofin-gamefriend-ships,5motivationsofgamers,6onlinegamingaddiction,7andgenderswapping.8Grif?thsetal.2gatheredprimarydataonthebasicdemographicfactorsofonlinegameplayers.Theresultsshowedthat81%ofonlinegamersweremaleandthatthemeanageofplayerswas28years.Itwasalsofoundthat4%ofplayersclaimedtoplayforover70hoursaweek.Yee’s3demographicsurveyofonlinegamersrevealedsimilar?nd-ings.

HussainandGrif?ths8investigatedonlinesocializationandthephenomenonofgenderswappinginMMORPGs.Resultsshowedthatjustover1in5gamers(21%)preferredsocializingonlinetoof?ine.Gamerssawtheonlineworldsaspleasantandsatisfyingenvironmentsthatprovideequality.Resultsalsoshowedthat57%ofgamershadengagedingenderswapping.Gamers’genderswappedforreasonsofinterest,toexperimentplayingadifferentgenderedcharacter,forfun,andtopreventunsolicitedmaleapproaches.Experi-mentalresearchbyLimandLee9examinedhowtasktypesandsocialcontextsaffectphysiologicalarousalinMMORPGplay.Resultsshowedthatwhencomparedwithsoloplay,collaborativeplayledtoasigni?cantdecreaseinarousalin

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responsetoviolenttaskswhileleadingtoaslightincreasefornonviolenttasks.Steinkuehler10madeuseofethnographytoinvestigatetheculturalpracticesandconsequencesofplayingtheMMORPGLineage.Findingsshowedthatthroughpar-ticipationinactivitieswithintheMMORPG,gamersgainedvaluableknowledgeaboutthecustomsandpracticeswithinLineage.Gamerslearnedgamingterminologyandgainedknowledgeoftheterrain,thetradingsystem,andthepointssystem.

Chenetal.11collecteddataonin-gameplayeractivitiesandobservedhowplayersjoinandleaveguilds.Dataweregatheredfor641,805avatarson62TaiwaneseWorldofWarcraftservers.Chenetal.created?veguildtypecategoriesthathaddifferentmeaningsintermsofin-gamegroupdy-namics.Theguildtypeswerenewbie,small,large,elite,andunstable.Theseguildcategoriesexplainedtheguildlifecycle(i.e.,theformationofguilds,theirmembershipanddevel-opment),in-gamemechanisms,andplayerbehavior.Eatoughetal.12examinedtheperceptionsofEverQuestplayersusinginterpretativephenomenologicalanalysis(IPA).Datawereanalyzedfromvariousonlineforumsandshowedthatthegamersappearedtobe‘‘addicted’’toEverQuest.Mostofthegamersappearedtodisplaythecorecomponentsofaddic-tion,suchassalience,moodmodi?cation,tolerance,con?ict,withdrawalsymptoms,cravings,andrelapse.

Ashasbeenobservedinthisbriefoverview,researchintoonlinegaminghasusedavarietyofmethodsobtainingquantitativeandqualitativedata.Manyofthequantitative

InternationalGamingResearchUnit,PsychologyDivision,DepartmentofSocialSciences,NottinghamTrentUniversity,Nottingham,UnitedKingdom.

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studiescanbecriticizedforobtainingsmallsamplessizes,beingculturallyspeci?c,and=orusingpseudo-experimentalmethodsinarti?cialsettingsrecruitingstudents.Therearemanyquantitativestudiesbutveryfewqualitativestudies.FurtherresearchfocusingontheexperiencesofgamersthatallowsthegamerstospeakandprovidetheirownaccountsofplayingMMORPGsisneeded.Thepresentstudyexploredtheattitudes,experiences,andfeelingsofonlinegamersthroughqualitativeinterviewsthatmadeuseofgamers’preferredmethodsofcommunicating(e-mailandinstantmessaging).MethodParticipants

Seventy-oneonlinegamers(52males,19females)partici-patedinthestudy.Theparticipantsrangedinagefrom18to54years(M?26years,SD?8.4years).Mostofthepartici-pantswerefromtheUnitedStates(n?32),followedbytheUnitedKingdom(n?19),Canada(n?5),andNetherlands(n?4),althoughsevenothercountries(Norway,Sweden,Portugal,Finland,Australia,Belgium,andGreece)werealsorepresentedamongtheremainingparticipants(n?11).Themeangamingtimeperweekwas18.9hours.Themeanyearsofgamingexperiencewas4.7years.Gamerswerecategorizedintothreegamertypes:(a)casualgamer(plays15hoursaweekorless;n?39);(b)regulargamer(playsmorethan15hoursandupto30hoursaweek;n?21);(b)excessivegamer(playsmorethan30hoursaweek;n?12).Designandprocedure

Participantswererecruitedinresponsetorecruitmentpostsonvariousonlinegamingforumsandin-gamepostsintheWorldofWarcraftMMORPG.Thesamplewasthereforeself-selecting.Participationwasvoluntary,andnoincentivewasofferedforparticipation.Semi-structuredinterviewswereconductedovera4-monthperiod(October2007toJanuary2008).Theinterviewswerecarriedout(synchro-nously)viaMSNMessenger(anonlinechatfacility)or(asynchronously)viae-mail.Allinterviewswereconductedatatimethatwasmostconvenientfortheparticipants.Theinterviewsbeganwithafewstructuredquestionsregardinggamerdemographics,thenaskedunstructuredquestionsaboutgamers’feelingsandexperiencesconcerningtheirday-to-dayplayingbehavior.Theunstructurednatureofthein-terviewsallowedgamerstodeveloptheirownnarrativebyexploringtheirexperiencesofMMORPGs.Theresearcherallowedgamerstospeakforthemselves(i.e.,theemergentthemeswereparticipantledratherthanresearcherled).Thisallowedgamerstotakecontroloftheinterviewprocessandpreventedresearchers’subjectivebiasenteringtheanalyticstage.Allparticipantsweredebriefedbeforeandafterthestudy.Eachinterviewlastedapproximately75minutes.Thosewhowereinterviewedbye-mailgenerallygaveshorterresponsestointerviewerquestionsthandidthoseinter-viewedusingMSNMessenger.However,therewasnodif-ferenceinthetypeofresponsecontent.Dataweregatheredusingthepreferredmediumofthegamer(i.e.,e-mailorMSNMessenger).DatafromtheinterviewswereimportedintoQSRNvivo,aqualitativedataanalysissoftwaretool,andwereanalyzedusingthematicanalysis.

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Thematicanalysisisa?exiblemethodforidentifying,an-alyzing,andreportingthemeswithinqualitativedata.13Thismethodcanofferarichdescriptionofthedatasetandisveryusefulforsummarizinglargebodiesofdata.Thematicanal-ysisalsoallowsforthepsychologicalinterpretationofdataandcangenerateunanticipatedinsights.Inthe?rststageofthethematicanalysis,the?rstauthorreadthroughallthetranscriptstwicetobecomefamiliarwiththedataandthensearchedforthemainthemestoemergefromtheresponsestoeachofthequestionsasked.Theresponseswerere-readwithparticularattentionbeingpaidtothethemesarisingfromthe?rststageofdataanalysis.Theresponseswerethencollatedundertheemergingthemeheadingsandweregivenprovi-sionallabelsandde?nitions.Theresponseswereagainre-readtoseeiftheycontainedanyfurtherrelevantinformationtotheprovisionalthemes.Thethemeswerethengiventheir?nalanalyticalformandde?nitionandwerere?nedfurtherthroughsystematicexaminationbythe?rstandsecondau-thors.Thesearching,coding,andlabelingofthemeswasdonebytheuseofQSRNvivo.Results

Sixmainthemesemergedfromtheanalysesoftheinter-viewtranscripts:(a)onlinegamingandintegrationintoday-to-daylives;(b)onlinegaming,excessiveplay,andproblems;(c)addiction;(d)psychosocialimpactofonlinegaming;(e)onlinegaming,dissociation,andtimeloss;and(f)onlinegamingandthealleviationofnegativefeelingsandmoodstates.

Onlinegamingandintegrationintoday-to-daylivesThethemeofonlinegamingandintegrationintoday-to-daylivesrevealedhowgamers?ttedtheironlinegamingintotheirlives.Manygamerssaidthattheyplayedintheirfreetimeafterwork,school,college,oruniversity(n?43;33male,10female).Otherssaidtheyintegratedtheironlinegamingbyplayingwithfriends(n?3,allmale),whilesomesaidtheyplayedduringworkhours(n?5;4male,1female).Afewgamers(n?3;1male,2female)playedwiththeirspousesorromanticpartners.Followingaretypicalquotesbythosewhoplayedintheirfreeleisuretime:

Extract1:Ileaveforworkat7a.m.andwork8a.m.–5p.m.Icomehome,helpthekidswithhomework(Ihaveteenagers),makesurethechoresaredone,havedinner,andthenwelogonafterthat.(P2,female,age34,USA,regulargamer)Extract2:IplayaftermykidshavegonetobedandIhave‘‘free’’timetodoasIwish.MywifechoosestowatchTV;Ichoosetorelaxbyplayingvideogames.(P5,male,age37,USA,excessivegamer)

Thesequotesshowhowgamersplayedatspeci?cperiodsintheirday-to-daylives.Theyplayedbeforeorafterwork,afterdinner,oraftercompletingcertaintasks.The?ndingsindicatedthatgamersappearedtobeveryorganizedandmanagedtheirtimeverywell.Thisiscontrarytomanybeliefsthatgamerslosecontroloftheirlives.Followingaretypicalquotesofgamerswhoplayedwiththeirfriends:

Extract3:WoW[WorldofWarcraft]takesalotlessprioritynowI’minmy?nalyearatUniversity.Acoupleofourfriendswholivenearbyalsoplay,sowetrytoarrangetomeetupin

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gameandcompleteaninstancenowandagain.(P6,male,age26,UK,casualgamer)

Extract4:IplaywithfriendsIhaveinreallife—bothfromhomeandmeetingupwiththemonline,andalsogoingtotheirhouseandplayinginthesameroom.(P7,male,age27,USA,regulargamer)

Theseresponsesshowhowgamersplayedtogetherwithfriendsandhowtheymadegameplayingasocialactivitytheycouldenjoytogetherinreallifeoronline.Italsohigh-lightsthesocialnatureofMMORPGs.Herearetypicalquotesofgamerswhoplayedwhileatwork:

Extract5:Iworkfromhome,sothatdoesn’tposeaproblem.Myhusbandusedtoplaywithme,butquit.HewentbacktoFFXI(FinalFantasyXI)andIplayWoW(WorldofWarcraft).(P8,female,age23,Canada,regulargamer)

Extract6:Iworkfromhome,soifIdon’thaveenoughworktodoIoftenspendtherestofthetimeplayingMMORPGs.Ialsoplayaftermyworkdayiscomplete.(P9,male,age36,USA,excessivegamer)

ThesequotesshowhowgamersdidnothaveaproblemwiththeirjobsandplayingMMORPGs.Therewasnorealcon?ictbetweenworkandleisuretimebecausetheyworkedandplayedinthesamelocation.Integratingonlinegamingintotheirliveswasverysimpleforthem.Followingaresometypicalquotesfromgamerswhosaidtheyplayedwiththeirspousesorromanticpartners:

Extract7:Whenatallpossible,Iplaywithmyhusband.Weenjoyyellinginsultsateachotherwhileourcharactersareinteracting.Hardestpartis?ndingthetimetoplaywhilethekidsarehome.(P10,female,age27,Canada,casualgamer)Extract8:Iplaywithmypartner,butthisisbecauseIactuallymetmypartnerthroughthegame.We’vesincemovedinto-gether,butmetonline,andoriginallylivedthousandsofmilesapart.(P11,female,age22,USA,regulargamer)

Thesequotesshowthatgamersmayplaywiththeirpartners.Forinstance,P11(Extract8)originallymetherpartneronlinewithintheMMORPG.ThisshowshowtheMMORPGcanbeusedasamediumtocommunicateandmeetpeople.

Onlinegaming,excessiveplay,andproblems

Amajorityofthegamersinterviewedstatedthattheirgameplayingisexcessive(n?27;20male,7female)orwasexcessive(n?13;11male,2female).Onlyafewgamerssaidthattheirgameplayingwasnotexcessive(n?4;2male,2female).Theremainderofgamersdidnotcommentonthisissue.Therewasahighdegreeofawarenessofgameplayingbeingexcessiveforthosewhosaidthattheyplayedexces-sively.Forexample,thosewhosecurrentplayingwasexces-sivetypicallysaidthefollowing:

Extract9:Yes,[myplayingis]veryexcessive.Theend-gameraidingcontentiswhat’skeepingmehookedaswellasthesocialaspect.(P15,male,age18,UK,regulargamer)Extract10:IstillfeelIspendtoomuchtimeplaying—butsometimesIcan’thelpmyself.…Ijustlovebuildingmygearandchatting.(P7,male,age27,USA,regulargamer)Extract11:Ireallydon’tknowwhyIplayitsomuch.Butit’swheremyfriendsareat,andit’sjustsomethingtowastetime

with.Idon’tseemyselfasaddictedtoWoW[WorldofWar-craft],eventhoughitseemsthatway.(P16,male,age18,UK,excessivegamer)

ThesequotesshowhowthesocialaspectsofMMORPGscanhavethenegativeimpactofcausingexcessivegameplaying.Thevirtualworldwasseenasaplacetowastetime,whichledtoexcessiveplayingforsomegamers.Theonlinecommunityalsofacilitatedexcessiveplay.Followingaretypicalquotesfromgamerswhosaidtheironlinegamingwas(butnolongeris)excessive:

Extract12:Itwasquiteexcessiveatonepoint.Iwantedtotryalltheinstances,tryallthegear,levelupasfastaspossible.(P6,male,age26,UK,casualgamer)

Extract13:Iwas‘‘raiding’’inoneofthebestguildsinWorldofWarcraft.IfeltIhadthetimeforit,soIcontinuedevenifitrequiredmetoplayaround?vetoeighthourseachday.SoIhavehadatimeitwasexcessive.(P17,male,age21,Sweden,excessivegamer)

Extract14:Therewereacoupleofthingsthatcontributedtomyexcessiveplayinginthepast.Foremostamongthemwasbelongingtoaraidingguild.Asecondcontributingfactorwassettinggoalsformyself.(P18,male,age40,USA,regulargamer)

ThesequotesprovideinsightintothenatureofMMORPGsandwhatcausedmanyofthegamerstoplayexcessivelyinthepast.Gamerstalkedabouttheraiding,levelingup,andbelongingtoaguildasfactorsthatcausedexcessiveplaying.Also,thequotesprovideaninsightintothethinkingprocessesofthegamers(e.g.,Extract14,whichexplainpartsofhisgamingbehaviorandhowhewouldtellhimselfthataspeci?cquesthadtobecompleted).Therewasasenseofurgencytocompletethequest.Followingaresomequotesfromgamerswhosaidthattheironlinegamingwasnotexcessive:

Extract15:Idon’tthinkmyMMOplayingisexcessive.It’sahobby.(P19,female,age20,USA,regulargamer)

Extract16:Notreally[gameplayingisnotexcessive],althoughIdoplayalot.Mostfromadesireto?nishwhatIstarted.(P21,male,age21,UK,regulargamer)

Gamershereexplainedtheironlinegamingbehaviorasnotexcessiveandvieweditasahobby.However,P21(Extract16)showedsignsofplayingexcessivelyeventhoughhesaidhisgameplayingwasnotexcessive.Addiction

Onlinegamingwasseenaspotentiallyaddictivebysomegamers(n?14;10male,4female).Forinstance:

Extract17:It’sobviousthatMMORPGsareaddictive.Mycompetitivenatureisconstantlyhookedbytestingmyskillwithotherpeople.(P22,female,age20,USA,casualgamer)Extract18:MMORPGswillbethenewcocaineandthenewtriggerofthestatusofthemind’semotionalstate.MMORPGsarehighlyaddictive.(P24,female,age18,UK,regulargamer)Extract19:EverQuestusedtobecalled‘‘Evercrack’’duetoitshighlyaddictivenatureandlarge-scalesocialinteractions.Thisledpeopletoskipworktoplay,leadingtoalossofajob(Iwatchedithappenatmyplaceofemployment).(P25,male,age27,USA,regulargamer)

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ThesequoteshighlightthepotentialaddictivenessofMMORPGsasviewedbytheplayersthemselves.Socialin-teraction,competition,andin-gametasksweresomeofthetriggerstoaddiction,accordingtothesegamers.Psychosocialimpactofonlinegaming

Thevastmajorityofgamers(n?50;35male,15female)highlightedthepositiveeffectsofonlinegaming,andmanydifferentaspectsweretouchedon.However,amajorityofthegamers(n?45;37male,8female)alsocommentedonthenegativeeffectsofMMORPGs.Positiveaspectsincluded:

Extract20:Youmeetnewpeople,youlearnaboutnewcul-tures,learnaboutteamwork,andbuildfriendships.Atthesametime,you’rehavingfunbyplayingagame.(P16,male,age18,UK,excessivegamer)

Extract21:I’mabsolutelymorepro?cientat[using]computers,I’vemadefriendshipsthathavestoodthetestoftime.MyhusbandandIaresuchacloseunitnow,andpartofitissharingaloveforsomethingthat’ssonotthenorm.(P2,female,age34,USA,regulargamer)

Extract22:MMORPGscanteachcooperation,typing,readingcomprehension,economics,evencomplexmathematics.(P26,male,age23,USA,casualgamer)

ThesequotesexpresssomeofthecapabilitiesofMMORPGs.ThegamershadmanypositiveexperienceswithMMORPGs,andmanyotherbene?cialusesofMMORPGswereidenti?edbyparticipants.However,manyofthegam-ersalsonotedpotentialnegativeeffects:

Extract23:I’velostmyIRL[inreallife]friendsbecauseIcouldn’t?ndthetimetobewiththem,Iquitschool.Wheneversomeoneasksmetodosomethingontheweekends,Ialwaysthink‘‘Ooh,butwe’reraiding,Ireallyshouldn’tgoout,’’andthat’sawayofthinkingwhichIreallydislike.(P32,female,age21,Norway,excessivegamer)

Extract24:ProbablythemostprofoundexperiencewaslosingfriendstoMMORPGs.Ihadagirlfriendwhoendedupplay-ing14hoursadayuntilIrealisedmyattemptstohelpwerefutileandsaidgoodbye.(P33,male,age25,USA,regulargamer)

Extract25:Ihaveneglectedhygiene,eating,sleep,work,andschoolbecauseofit.ItcausesrestlessnessanytimeI’mnotplaying.(P34,male,age22,USA,casualgamer)

ThesequoteshighlightedthepotentiallyadverseeffectsthatwereassociatedwithMMORPGs.Mostnotably,theex-perienceoflosingfriendstoMMORPGsisanissuethatwouldappeartorequirefurtherresearch.Onlinegaming,dissociation,andtimeloss

Gamerswereaskedwhethertheyexperienceddetachmentfromreallife,whethertheylosttrackoftime,andwhethertheyplayedlongerthanintended.Justunderathirdofgamersexperienceddetachment(n?22;17male,5female).Overathirdofgamersexperiencedtimelossandsaidtheyplayedlongerthanintended(n?25;16male,9female).Intermsofdetachment,gamersreported:

Extract26:Inoticedwhatamessmybedroomis.Idothedisheseverymorning,that’sabouttheonlychoreIhave.Iputmyselflast.IfIneedtodosomethingin-game,I’llwaitwith

HUSSAINANDGRIFFITHS

theshowerandthedinner.(P32,female,age21,Norway,excessivegamer)

Extract27:WhenI’mplayingonline,Idon’teventhinkofmeassittinginthesameworldaseveryoneelse.Igetsuckedintothegameandtheonlythingthatmatterstomeisthatgame.(P22,female,age20,USA,casualgamer)

Extract28:Idoactually[feeldetachment].Ifeelthat[othertasks]canwaitandthatIcandothemlater,whichresultsintimebeingwastedandusuallymenotdoingthehomeworkormyhouseholdtasksgiventome.(P29,male,age21,USA,regulargamer)

ThesequotesshowedtheimmersivepropertiesofMMORPGsthatcauseddetachmentinsomegamers.ThisappearedtobeanappealingfeatureofMMORPGs.Ofthosewhoplayedlongerthanintended,typicalquotesincluded:

Extract29:Onedoesn’talwaysrealisehowlongonehasplayed(aswitnesstheoccasionalFridaynightwhenIsud-denlyrealiseit’s3a.m.,andshouldhavegonetobedhoursago).Gametimeisdifferent(timeisnot1:1),itiseasytofailtonoticephysicaltime.(P27,female,age40,USA,casualgamer)Extract30:Idotendtolosetrackoftimewhileplaying.WoWisanincrediblyimmersivegameandIbecomeveryabsorbedinwhatmycharacteristryingtoaccomplish.(P37,female,age33,Canada,casualgamer)

Extract31:IdolosetimewhenIamonlinegaming.Iwouldthinkthatanhourwentbyanditwaslike4[or]5.Istartedsettinganalarmclockforeveryhoursoitwouldhelpmekeeptrackoftime.(P12,male,age33,USA,casualgamer)

Thequotesaboveshowthatgamersexperiencedtimelosstosuchanextentthatsomegamerssetanalarmtoalertthemofthetime.ThelevelofinvolvementthatisrequiredwhenplayingaMMORPGwasseenasareasonfortimeloss.Onlinegamingandthealleviationofnegativefeelingsandmoodstates

Analysisdemonstratedhowgamersusedonlinegamingtoalleviatenegativefeelingsthatinturnbroughtpositivefeel-ings.Justunderathirdofgamers(n?22;13male,9female)spokeabouthowtheyremovednegativefeelingssuchasstress,anger,andfrustrationbyplayingMMORPGs.Forin-stance:

Extract32:IusuallyuseWoWtorelievelonelinessby?ndingmyfriendsormakingnewones.It?llsyouwithhappinessthatyouarehavingagreattimeevenwhennooneisaroundyou.(P24,female,age18,UK,regulargamer)

Extract33:Ihaveused[MMORPGs]toalleviatefrustration.Itismuchbettertogoandkillmonstersthantoyellatthefamily.Theycanbeagoodrelease.(P38,female,age54,USA,regulargamer)

Extract34:Formeit’sawayofsteppingoutofeverydaystressandannoyancesandenteringasortofsanitisedworldwhereIammostlyincontrolofwhathappenstome.(P41,female,age27,UK,casualgamer)

ThesequotesshowedhowgamersutilizedMMORPGstorelieveverystrongnegativefeelingsthatcanbedif?culttorelieveinsomecases.GamersusedMMORPGsasareleaseandasamediumto‘‘stepaway’’awayfromeverydayproblems.

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Discussion

Thestudyexaminedwhetheronlinegamingimpacts(psychologicallyandsocially)onpeoples’livesbyexploringattitudesandviewstowardonlinegameplayingandconse-quentbehavior.Thequalitativenatureofthestudyenabledanin-depthanalysisofgamers’perceptions.Theinterviewsallowedforthedevelopmentofqualitativeaccountsthatprovidedinformationaboutparticularaspectsofonlinegaming.Forinstance,thestudyshowedhowgamersusedMMORPGstoalleviatenegativefeelings,anditprovideddetaileddescriptionsofpersonalproblemsthataroseduetoplayingMMORPGs.Thestudyalsoprovideddetailedac-countsofgamers’day-to-daylivesandhowtheyintegratedonlinegamingintotheirlives.

Onlinegamingandintegrationintoday-to-daylivesTheresultsshowedthatmorethanhalfofgamers(n?43)playedMMORPGsintheirfreetimeoutsideofschool,col-lege,oruniversity,whileasmallernumber(n?5)playedwhileatwork.These?ndingsshowthatgamersintegrateonlinegamingintotheirliveswithfewadversesocialeffectsontheirdailylives.Resultsalsoshowedthatmostgamersplannedtheirgamingaroundtheirdailyeducation,work,and=orhometasks.Forinstance,onegamerreportedthatheplayedafterhischildrenhadgonetobed(Extract2).TheresultsshowthatgamerstendtomanageandintegratetheirMMORPGplayingintotheirlivesbutthatafewplayalongwithfriendsandpartners.These?ndingsweresimilartothoseofColeandGrif?ths,5whofoundthat26%oftheirsampleplayedMMORPGswithfamilyandreal-lifefriends.The?ndings14alsoshowsimilaritytothatofWhangandChang,whoexploredthelifestylesofonlinegamersandcomparedtheirreal-worldlifestyleswiththeirvaluesandattitudesinthevirtualworld.

Onlinegaming,excessiveplay,andproblems

Thepresentstudyalsofoundthatmorethanhalfofthegamers(n?40)thoughttheirgameplayingisorwasexces-sive.Onlyfourgamersspeci?callysaidthattheirgameplayingwasnotexcessive.Thereasonsforexcessiveplaywerevaried.Forinstance,onegamer(Extract9)saidthe‘‘end-gameraiding’’contentaswellasthesocialaspectsofthegamecausedhimtoplayexcessively.Anothergamer(Extract10)statedthatthesocialaspectaswellas‘‘buildinghisgear’’causedgamingexcess.Otherreasonsforexcessiveplayingincludedthecompetitivesurroundingsofthevirtualenvi-ronment,thecommunity,havingalotoffreetime,thelackofinterestingalternativeentertainmentoutletswiththesamerelativeeaseofcomingandgoing,andhavingtogettheirmoney’sworthiftheyhadpaidasubscription.Forthosewhosaidtheirgameplayingwasexcessiveinthepast,theypro-videdsimilarresponsestothosewhoplayedexcessivelyatpresent.

Thegamerswhosaidthattheirplayingwasnotexcessivesawtheironlinegamingasahobby(e.g.,Extract15).Fromthe?ndings,onlinegamingappearedtofacilitateexcessiveplaytoahighextent.The?ndingsshowedthatgamerswereawareoftheirgame-playingbehavior,andformany,theirplayingwasexcessive.Speci?caspectsofMMORPGswerehighlightedascausingexcessiveplaythatcouldleadtoad-

versehealtheffectsforsomegamers(suchasmissingmealsandnotexercisingregularly).Futureresearchshouldtrytoassesstheextentofexcessiveplayingusingaquantitativemeasure.Therewerealsosomeinsightsintoonlinegamingasanaddiction.A?fthofgamers(n?14)thoughtMMORPGswereaddictive.Onegamer(Extract18)likenedMMORPGstoadrugandthoughttheywerehighlyaddictive.Anothergamer(Extract17)sawherplayingasexcessiveandgot‘‘hooked’’bytestingherskillwithotherpeople.These?nd-ingssupportthoseofGrusseretal.,7whofoundthat12%ofgamersmetatleastthreeaddictioncriteria.However,thepresentstudydoesnotclaimthatthegamingbehavioroftheparticipantsisrelatedtodysfunctionalsocialbehavior.Con-versely,inregardtothepresent?ndings,thequalitativedataonexcessiveplayingandaddictionneedstobesupportedwithquantitativedata.

Psychosocialimpactofonlinegaming

Thepresentstudywasdistinctiveintermsofcollectingdataonthepositiveandnegativeeffectsofonlinegaming.Morethantwothirdsofgamers(n?51)commentedonthepositiveeffectsofonlinegaming.Someofthepositiveef-fectsincludedmeetingnewpeople,learningaboutnewcultures,facilitatingteamwork,andbuildingfriendships(Extract20).Onlinegamingwaslinkedtoimprovedef?-ciencyatusingcomputers(Extract21).Itwasalsoseenasagoodtoolforteachingcooperation,typing,readingcom-prehension,economics,andmathematics(Extract22).In-terestingly,onlinegamingwasalsoseenasamediumthatallowedpeopletoexercisetheirimaginationandcouldteachteamworkandplanningskills.Suchpositiveeffectslendsupporttothecollaborativelearningapproachesthatfocusonproblem-basedandexperienced-basedlearningandtotheliteratureshowingonlinegamescanbeeduca-tionallyuseful.16

Thenegativeeffectsofonlinegamingwerecommentedonbyalmosttwothirdsofgamers(n?45).Somewhatpara-doxically,gamerslinkedonlinegamingtobeingsocialonlinebutantisocialinreallife.Othernegativeeffectsincludedonlinegamingbeingtimeconsumingandaffectingthebreakdownoffriendshipsandrelationships(Extract23).Onegamer(Extract25)provideddetailedinformationofhowhehadneglectedhygiene,eating,sleep,work,andschoolduetoplayingonlinegames.Videogamedeveloperscouldbene?tfromthese?ndingsbyincorporatingmoreofthepositiveaspectsandomittingthenegativeaspectswhendevelopingnewMMORPGs.Forinstance,MMORPGscouldincorporaterestbreaksandrewardgamersfordoingso.In-gamequestscouldperhapsbemadetobemoreeducationallyoriented.Ratherthanmakingtasksthatarerepetitive,tasksthattestgamers’analytical,communication,anddecision-makingskillswouldbeonewayofmakingthegamesmoreeduca-tional.

Onlinegaming,dissociation,andtimeloss

Thepresentstudyalsoexaminedthepotentialcapabilitiesofonlinegamingtocausedetachmentand=ortimeloss.Lessthanathirdofgamers(n?22)saidthattheyexperienceddetachment.Foronegamer(Extract29)theexperienceofdetachmenthadcausedhertodelayreal-worldtaskssuchascleaningherbedroomandtakingshowers.Anothergamer

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(Extract30)thoughtshewasinadifferentworldfromev-eryoneelse.Shealsomentionedthefeelingofgetting‘‘sucked’’intothegame.Theseaccountsdetailthetypesoffeelingsandthoughtsthatwereprovokedbyonlinegaming.Justoverathirdofgamers(n?25)statedthattheyexperi-encedtimelossandplayedlongerthanintended.Partici-pants’commentswerevariedonthistopic.Onegamer(Extract31)feltthattimewentbyquickly,andshementionedthatin-gametimeisdifferentfromreal-worldtimeandcanleadtonotnoticingreal-worldtime.Othersexperiencedtimelossandresortedtosettinganalarm.These?ndingssupportthe?ndingsofWoodetal.17thatshowedthatgamersexpe-riencedtimeloss,whichwasassociatedwithparticularstructuralcharacteristicsofvideogames,suchastheirmul-tiplayerinteraction,multiplelevels,andtheircomplexity.Furtherresearchonbothtimelossanditslinkwithparticularstructuralcharacteristics,suchasthatbyWoodetal.,18isneeded.

Onlinegamingandthealleviationofnegativefeelingsandmoodstates

Theinterviewsalsoyieldeddataonhowgamersusedonlinegamingtoalleviatenegativefeelings.Almostonethirdofgamers(n?22)spokeaboutsucheffects.Gamersusedonlinegamingtorelievelonelinessandboredomandalsotoalleviatefrustration(Extract33).Onlinegameswereusedtorelieveeverydaystressesandannoyances.Here,onlinegaminghadatherapeuticcapabilityandcouldperhapsbeusedinpsychotherapybyallowingpatientstoplayMMORPGsinordertorelievenegativefeelings.Hence,on-linegamesappeartohavethecapabilitytobringaboutpositivebehavioralchanges,asnotedinpastvideogameresearchinpsychotherapeuticsettings.19However,furtherresearchthatexaminesthepsychologicalandtherapeuticaspectsofonlinegamesisneeded.

Thisstudydidnotsetoutto?nd?ndingsthatcanbegeneralized.Itwasaqualitativestudyandthusemphasizedthegatheringofrich,elaborate,meaningfuldata.Thesemi-structuredinterviewsconductedviatheuseofMSNMes-sengerande-mailprovidedamorein-depthanalysisofgamersperceptionsofonlinegaming.Thismethodcanbeseentohavemanyadvantages.Forinstance,instantmes-saginginterviewsarecheaptoadminister,obtaingeograph-icallydiversesamples,andarelesstimeconsumingcomparedtoface-to-faceinterviews.ResearchbyStiegerandGoritz20showedthatinstantmessageinterviewswereafea-siblemethodofdatacollection,asthequalityofdata,thecontactrate,responserate,andretentionratewasgood.Theyalsofoundthattheriskofobtainingfalseresponsesininstantmessageinterviewswassmall.

Therearesomelimitationsassociatedwiththeuseofinstantmessagingande-mailinterviewing.Themixtureofsynchronousandasynchronousdatacollectionmayhavein?uencedthe?ndings.Furthermore,nonverbal(e.g.,bodylanguage)andparalinguistic(e.g.,toneofvoice)cueswerenotavailable,makingitdif?cultfortheinterviewertoknowthepsychologicaldispositionoftheinterviewees.However,technologiesexistthatallowtheincorporationofaudioandvideocapabilitiesintoonlinereal-timechat(e.g.,webcams),thusmakingthesettingresembleaface-to-faceinterviewsetting.40However,therearetechnicaldif?culties

HUSSAINANDGRIFFITHS

associatedwithincorporatingaudioandvideointoonlineinterviews,suchasinterruptionsduetolossofconnectionsorslowdatatransmissionrates.Theinterviewquestionswerelooseandunstructured,allowingthegamerstotalkaboutwhatwasimportanttothemratherthanwhatwe,asresearchers,feltwerethesalientissues.Therefore,someofthethemesthatemergedwerediscussedbyonlyaminorityofgamers.

Theonlineinterviewmethodusedinthisstudyappearedtoleadtoenhancedlevelsofcandidnessfromgamers,ascanbeseeninthequotefromonegamer(Extract23)whopro-videddetailedinformationabouthersociallife.Theano-nymityprovidedbythismethodcouldalsoexplainthewillingnessofgamerstodisclosehighlypersonalandsensi-tiveinformation.Thelackofnonverbalandparalinguisticcuesmayhavecontributedtothehighlevelsofself-disclosure.Furthermore,pastonlineresearchhasshownhighlevelsofself-disclosurefromparticipantsandreducedlevelsofsocialdesirableresponses.21Thepresentstudyrevealedavarietyofattitudesandexperiencesofgamers.Itshowedthepositiveandnegativeeffectsofonlinegames,genderdifferences,andonlineandof?ineuseofgamingtechnologiesbygamers.Itcanbeseenthattheinstantmessageinterviewande-mailinter-viewarefeasiblemethodsfordatacollection.Thequalitativeaccountsofgamersprovethesuitabilityofsuchmethodsforfurtherresearch.DisclosureStatement

Nocompeting?nancialinterestsexist.

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Addresscorrespondenceto:

ZaheerHussain

InternationalGamingResearchUnit

PsychologyDivision,DepartmentofSocialSciences

NottinghamTrentUniversity

BurtonStreet

Nottingham,NG14BU

UnitedKingdom

E-mail:zaheer.hussain@ntu.ac.uk

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