网络游戏对大学生的影响

为了解网络游戏对大学生所带来的影响，20xx年4月，我们就玩网络游戏的人数、原因、对玩家的影响以及对网络游戏的态度和建议，在湖南信息职业技术学院的五十余名具有不同专业背景的三年大 学生中进行调查。结果如下。

1．大学生玩网络游戏的人数及程度

据调查，有41.9%的同学认为在本班中大多数（50%以上）同学都在玩网络游戏，有48.4%的同学认为本班中有一些同学在玩，而仅有6.5%的同学认为本班中没有人玩。从玩家的性别差距来看，女同学所占的比例要远远小于男同学。而且值得注意的是，玩家在班中所占比例大的班往往是理工科班，文科班仅有少数或者根本没有人玩。不玩的原因，主要是他们认为游戏无聊、耗费精力和时间、游戏机制仅是在不断的重复。学习任务重的理工科班，他们虽然有设备上的便利条件，但是其玩家人数也均未超过50%。至于沉溺于网络游戏的人数比例，有29%的同学提到本班中有人达到疯狂程度。就我们观察，在这些班中达到疯狂程度的实际人数有一两个到五六个不等。

2．大学生玩网络游戏的原因

对于玩网络游戏的原因可以说是多种多样。 经过统计，认为是由于高考成功带来的喜悦而冲昏了头脑，使自己丧失了奋斗目标，失去了进取心的人占12.9%。?

认为大学生玩网络游戏与大学相对松散的管理模式有关的人占

3.2%。他们认为由于大学管理制度相对松散，更侧重于大学生的自我

约束和管理，对于那些自我控制能力较差的同学而言，无疑是多了许多的自由空间。由于不知道如何科学地安排这些时间，于是这些学生就被网络游戏所吸引。?

有58.1%的人认为，对网络游戏的热衷完全是出于对现实生活的不满和对压力的逃避。这些人认为，有的同学受文学作品、影视节目的影响，把大学生活想象的非常美好，这就和大学的现实形成巨大的反差，造成失落感的增强。而且，有的同学由于高考成绩的影响，没能进入自己所理想的专业，为此也对现实非常的不满。还有的同学，家庭生活不美满、同舍友关系紧张以及同自己女朋友（男朋友）感情出现危机都不同程度地给他们带来了压力。当然，更重要的还是学习上的压力。这些同学认为，考进我校来的学生均是自己高中班上的佼佼者，强者之间的竞争更加激烈，无形之中即形成了巨大的压力。由于不能正确地处理好这些问题，令自己以积极的心态来面对现实和压力，出于一种逃避的心理，他们就将时间和精力投注于网游之中。

有51.6％的同学认为玩网络游戏可以给他们带来一种精神上的满足，这种感受让他们沉迷于网络游戏，长期乐此不疲。有的同学由于在现实生活中不善于处理人际关系，造成同学关系紧张，而网络游戏的匿名性就可以给他们带来交往上的安全感，让他们可以更加轻松的释放内心的情感，体验友情和关爱，满足心理上的情感需求。有的同学由于大学中的激烈竞争，使得他们丧失了原先的优势地位，造成心理上的落差。而在网络游戏中这些同学可以通过不断的升级和装备的不断更新来满足他们这种对优越感的需求，最终使自己不能自拔。

网络游戏中有很多游戏涉及冒险和竞争，而很多男同学从小就有一种对英雄的崇拜情节，玩网络游戏就可以使他们的这种英雄情节在虚拟世界中得以实现。同时由于网络游戏是一种多人同时在线的活动，强调人与人之间的协作，可以使得玩家体验到许多人共同做一件事情的激情和快感。正是由于它的这个特点，使得许多同学，尤其是许多男同学对网络游戏割舍不下。?

另外，还有29.0%的同学承认网络游戏自身情节丰富多彩，引人入胜，这个特点也是他们长期迷恋于网络游戏的原因之一。 最后，还有6.5%的同学认为，玩网络游戏所能够给他们带来的现实利益也是一个原因。在游戏过程中，各玩家水平不等。对于那些水平很低而求胜心又很强的人而言，就需要千方百计改变自己的装备，于是就出现了用现实中的金钱购买虚拟装备的现象。这种交易常常可以给网游高手带来数千元甚至更多的经济利益，对他们产生巨大吸引力，从而使他们更加专注于网络游戏。

3．网络游戏给大学生带来的影响

调查中，每个调查对象都承认网络游戏在不同程度上影响到了大学生的学习、身体健康、心理健康以及将来他们对社会责任的承担能力。

在学习方面，有41.9%的同学认为玩网络游戏使他们学习成绩下降，只是暂时尚未出现不及格现象。有35.5%的同学提出班中玩网络游戏的同学出现了不及格的现象，还有25.8%的同学提出班中沉溺于网络游戏的同学中有人被退学。还有个别同学出现了一些其他的退

步现象。例如，有同学提到，班上有位同学本来学习非常好，是班干部、中共党员。就是因为沉溺于网络游戏之中而无法自拔，不断的逃课、熬通宵、不完成作业，导致成绩直线下滑，多门功课不及格，最后自己主动提出要求退党。另外，还有些同学虽未被退学，但已经接近被退学的边缘。

在身体健康方面，有6.5%的同学提到，由于玩家一旦沉溺于游戏，往往会接连几个小时甚至更长的时间坐在电脑跟前，最终影响到身体健康。其表现主要在于视力的下降和体质的下降，严重者甚至虚脱。在心理健康方面，可以说网络游戏给大学生所带来的负面影响要远大于对身体的影响。

有9.7%的同学提出，由于网络游戏中有暴力游戏，玩家在游戏中可以依据自己的喜好随意杀人和踢人，无形中增强了这些同学的暴力倾向，这不能不说是一种潜在的犯罪隐患，而现实中的用金钱买装备的现象也不能不说是为犯罪的出现埋下了伏笔。??

有16.1%的同学谈到，对网络游戏的痴迷使得玩家丧失了进取的目标和奋发图强的斗志，更失去了做别的事情的兴趣。

有12.9%的同学提出，由于玩家沉溺于网络游戏的虚拟世界中，和现实世界产生了深深的隔膜，在处理现实的人际关系时出现越来越多的问题，对人越来越淡漠。很多大学生为此远离人群，逃避社会，希冀躲入虚拟的网络世界寻求庇护，恶性循环诱发的心理病症在不断攀升，让大学生面对现实时产生更多的无力感和挫败感。暴力倾向、奋斗目标的缺失和人际关系的淡漠，必然会影响到大学生将来对社会

责任的承担，在调查中，有6.5%的同学已表现出了对这一点的忧虑。? 最后，还有3.2%的同学提出，由于玩网络游戏需要投入一定的金钱，尤其是对于那些新手而言，技术不熟练会导致他们要花费较多的钱来提高自己的装备。而大学生的钱主要来源于家里，这势必给那些经济条件不太宽裕的家庭增加了一些经济负担。?

4．大学生对网络游戏的态度和建议

网络游戏给大学生的各方面带来了很大的影响，但在对网络游戏的态度上，大多数人持一种客观的态度。

仅有3.2%的同学提出应当禁止网络游戏。

有29%的同学认为虽然网络游戏可以给大学生带来很多负面影响，但它也可以带来很多积极的作用，例如记忆力的加强，反应力的锻炼，团队精神的培养，学习压力的缓解，等等。而且，网络游戏的发展在增加我国的经济收入和扩大对国际网络游戏市场的占据方面也有着积极的作用。因此，对于网络游戏不能完全反对，而应当考虑怎样进行规范，抑制其消极的一面，发挥其积极的一面。

在消除网络游戏的消极作用方面，同学们从不同角度提出了一些

建议。

有25.8%的同学提出应当对网络游戏这个产业进行规制。其中，3.2%的同学提出以平等和公正的原则对网络游戏进行管理，有22.6%的同学提出应当进行立法来规范网络游戏，如对暴力和色情游戏进行禁止，尽快建立游戏分级制度和登记制度，开展反外挂行动，等等。有6.5%的同学提出，应当设立相关制度对玩家的资格进行限

制。还有35.5%的同学提出应当从社会、家庭、学校等方面加强对学生的教育。但不能只是简单的说教，而应当多和学生交流，了解他们的内心世界，知道他们的心理需求，多做疏导工作，帮助大学生认清现实和虚幻，增强他们的自控力，树立健康的人生观，价值观，激发他们的求真务实精神。最后，还有3.2%的同学建议，应当提供更加健康的娱乐方式来替代网络游戏，适应大学生的身体和心理上的点。

学校的学生管理工作者认为，在理工科大学，学生的学习任务相对于其他院校要重，学校的生源素质较好，再加上校方为了预防网络游戏恶性影响的出现，采取了一些积极措施（如一年级学生不得配备电脑、上网限时等），这些措施均发挥了一定的作用，因此，虽然我校实际玩网络游戏的比例较高，但沉溺其中的人数并不是很多。尽管每年均有一些同学被退学，但原因多样，网络游戏在其中的影响仅占一部份比例。至于网络游戏的影响，有积极的一面，也有消极的一面。其积极作用包括学生团队精神的培养，压力的缓解，生活方式的改变等。消极作用包括学习成绩的下滑，心理问题的增多，人情关系的淡漠等等。但总的说来，我校学生在这一方面的情况较好。 至于对网络游戏消极影响的改善，首先是网络游戏不可以予以彻底禁止，而应考虑如何对网络游戏进行规制，对学生进行疏导教育，解决其心理的需求，并应当积极地采取一些更健康更吸引学生的娱乐方式。

607小组

组长：汪城

组员：雷玉鹏 彭承兵 罗冬冬 周培政

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

R

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.

HUSSAINANDGRIFFITHS

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

ATTITUDES,FEELINGS,ANDEXPERIENCESOFONLINEGAMERS

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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.

ATTITUDES,FEELINGS,ANDEXPERIENCESOFONLINEGAMERS751

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

752

(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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