Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Games Research Articles

Does game self‐congruity increase usage and purchase?

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to measure the empirical relationship between self‐congruity and game usage and purchase. This is important because it highlights that games affect self concept and the symbolic value that can be obtained from the game. It is aimed to implement this study across four game types.Design/methodology/approachA total of 493 consumers were surveyed and confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling conducted across four game groups to model this same relationship.FindingsIt was found that self‐congruity was positively related to game usage and purchase.Practical implicationsGame development for consumers online, on wireless devices and on consoles should place greater emphasis on the practical implications of self‐congruity. Games impact self concept through self‐congruity. So, it is important that marketers understand the potential harm and positive impact of games on the consumers' cognition.Originality/valueThis is the first paper to explore and model self‐congruity and game purchase and usage behaviour. This paper is further unique because it provides results across four games groups: all games representing, followed by the alternative models, Sports/Simulation/Driving, Role‐playing Game (RPG)/Massively Multiplayer Online Role‐playing Game (MMORPG)/Strategy, and Action/Adventure/Fighting,

Personality Profiles Associated with Different Motivations for Playing World of Warcraft

Gamers play massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) for a variety of reasons. For example, some gamers play primarily as a form of socialization, whereas others play to gain a sense of achievement. Past studies have shown that these motives are associated with individual differences such as gender and number of years spent playing online games. What other individual differences might affect why people play MMORPGs? Personality is known to be associated with in-game behaviors, raising the possibility of link between personality and gaming motives. The present study examines the relationship between gamers' Big Five personality traits and their motivations for playing World of Warcraft. Results reveal several links between a player's personality and gaming motivations. For instance, individuals playing to socialize tend to be high on extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, and openness, whereas individuals playing to gain a sense of achievement tend to be high on extraversion and neuroticism, but low on agreeableness and conscientiousness. Findings are discussed with respect to previous research on links between personality and motives in other MMORPGs and in terms of how and why the connections between personality and motives may differ across online and offline contexts.

Self-Concept Deficits in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games Addiction

Background: Previous studies on Internet addiction point towards a particular constellation of personality traits and deficits in social competence of players addicted to massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), which are hypothesized to result from impairments in self-concept. The aim of this study was to examine differences in self-concept and degree of avatar identification in World of Warcraft addicted, non-addicted and naive (nonexperienced) participants. Methods: Participants (n = 45) completed interviews and self-report questionnaires on social, emotional and physical aspects of self-concept. Attributes of participants’ ‘actual self’, ‘ideal self’ and their avatar were assessed using the Giessen test. The extent of avatar identification was examined by assessing differences between ‘ideal self’ and avatar evaluations. Results: In contrast to nonaddicted and naive participants, addicted players showed a more negative body appraisal and lower self-esteem as well as lower permeability, social response, general mood and social potency on the Giessen test subscales. They further showed significantly lower discrepancies between ‘ideal self’ and avatar ratings on nearly all Giessen test subscales. Discussion: The results point towards impairments in self-concept and a higher degree in avatar identification in addicted MMORPG players compared to the remaining participants. These results could have important implications for the treatment of addicted MMORPG players.

The recommender system for virtual items in MMORPGs based on a novel collaborative filtering approach

The recommendation system for virtual items in massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) has aroused the interest of researchers. Of the many approaches to construct a recommender system, collaborative filtering (CF) has been the most successful one. However, the traditional CFs just lure customers into the purchasing action and overlook customers’ satisfaction, moreover, these techniques always suffer from low accuracy under cold-start conditions. Therefore, a novel collaborative filtering (NCF) method is proposed to identify like-minded customers according to the preference similarity coefficient (PSC), which implies correlation between the similarity of customers’ characteristics and the similarity of customers’ satisfaction level for the product. Furthermore, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used to determine the relative importance of each characteristic of the customer and the improved ant colony optimisation (IACO) is adopted to generate the expression of the PSC. The IACO creates solutions using the Markov random walk model, which can accelerate the convergence of algorithm and prevent prematurity. For a target customer whose neighbours can be found, the NCF can predict his satisfaction level towards the suggested products and recommend the acceptable ones. Under cold-start conditions, the NCF will generate the recommendation list by excluding items that other customers prefer.

Avatars of Whiteness: Racial Expression in Video Game Characters

Video games are an enormous segment of popular media today, comparable to television and movies. Moreover, video games represent a new form of media distinguished from previous forms due to the interactive element, where game players have the ability to change and influence the game world. This paper contributes to the study of race and popular media by examining how race is presented in role‐playing video games through the feature of avatar creation. Capabilities for avatar creation are analyzed in over sixty massively multiplayer online role‐playing games (MMORPGs) in service as of early 2010 and twenty offline role‐playing games (RPGs) published over the past 10 years. The analysis shows that the vast majority of games, both online and offline, do not allow for the creation of avatars with a non‐white racial appearance. Forcing an Anglo appearance on avatars that purport to represent the player has the potential to reinforce a sense of normative whiteness as well as shape the social composition of online worlds into all‐white virtual spaces, contributing to the creation of a virtual “white habitus.”

Interaction with the Game and Motivation among Players of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games

Knowledge about users interacting with Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) is fundamental in order to prevent their potential negative effects on behavior. For this reason, the present study analyzed the relationship between styles of play and motivations. An online questionnaire asking for socio-demographic details, playing style, characteristics of the game played and motivations for playing, was answered by 430 Spanish-speaking MMORPG players (45.1% males). The identified profile for players, far away from the stereotype of an adolescent, consisted in a person who mainly plays on PvP (Player versus Player) servers, choosing the type of game according to his experience. Regarding motivations, they were interested in relating with other players through the game (Socialization), in discovering the game's possibilities and development of its adventures (Exploration), to a lesser extent in leadership and prestige (Achievement) and, lastly, identification with an avatar and escape from reality (Dissociation). Although part of the reason for playing was escapism and/or stress relief, the main motivation had a social nature. We conclude that MMORPG offer an attractive environment for a broad spectrum of people, and we have not been able to confirm the stereotype of a loner avoiding reality, taking refuge in games.

Impact of Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games upon the Psychosocial Well-Being of Adolescents and Young Adults: Reviewing the Evidence

Introduction. For many people, the online environment has become a significant arena for everyday living, and researchers are beginning to explore the multifaceted nature of human interaction with the Internet. The burgeoning global popularity and distinct design features of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) have received particular attention, and discourses about the phenomenon suggest both positive and negative impact upon gamer health. Aim. The purpose of this paper was to critically appraise the research literature to determine if playing MMORPGs impacts upon the psychosocial well-being of adolescents and young adults. Method. Initial searches were conducted on nine databases spanning the years 2002 to 2012 using key words, such as online gaming, internet gaming, psychosocial, and well-being, which, in addition to hand searching, identified six studies meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria for this review. Results. All six studies strongly associated MMORPG playing with helpful and harmful impact to the psychosocial well-being of the populations under study; however due to the methodologies employed, only tentative conclusions may be drawn. Conclusion. Since both helpful and harmful effects were reported, further multidisciplinary research is recommended to specifically explore the clinical implications and therapeutic potentialities of this modern, growing phenomenon.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GUILD CONFORMITY AND LOYALTY OF MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER ONLINE ROLE-PLAYING GAME (MMORPG) GAMERS

This study aimed to determine the relationship between guild conformity and loyalty of MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) gamers in Semarang . Subjects in this study were selected purposively, ie 15-30 year-old gamers, play MMORPG, join in a guild, located in Semarang, and willing to participate in this study. Data collected in this study using a Likert scale form compiled by researchers, namely gamer loyalty scale consists of 21 items (reliability coefficient = 0.918) and the guild conformity scale consisting of 16 items ( reliability coefficient = 0.863). Analysis of data using the correlation test of Karl Pearson Product Moment to determine the relationship between guild conformity and loyalty of MMORPG gamers. The results showed a significance value of 0.908 (p> 0.005), which suggests that the relationship between the two variables is not significant. Therefore, there was no significant relationship between guild conformity and loyalty of MMORPG gamers.

What can influence the consumers' online word-of-mouth? An online gaming perspective

With the increasing popularity of broadband networks, the online game market is becoming more mature. One of the most popular online games, World of WarCraft, has more than ten million global members, making it the largest massive multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG). Thus, this study collects 317 players of the online game ‘World of Warcraft’ to empirically investigate this issue. By manipulating structural equation modelling (SEM), we investigate the relationships among brand image (BI), brand trust (BT), and online word-of-mouth (WOM) to examine the moderating effect of game experiences. This research indicates that BT serves as a partial mediator between brand image and online WOM and specifies the substantial moderating effect of game experiences in BI, BT, and online WOM. Meanwhile, if online game companies can develop a good BI, players will be willing to recommend and share their experiences with others on the internet.

Scalable software architecture for distributed MMORPG traffic generation based on integration of UrBBaN-Gen and IMUNES

We present a scalable software architecture for distributed traffic generation capable of producing Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) packet flows in a statistically accurate manner for thousands of concurrent players. The main challenge, to achieve truly massive scale traffic generation, has been achieved by introducing kernel based virtualization, pioneered by the network simulator/emulator IMUNES, into the User Behaviour Based Network Traffic Generation (UrBBan-Gen, introduced in our earlier work). The UrBBan-Gen software architecture consists of four modules: Service repository, Control function and user interface, Behaviour process, and Traffic generation process. IMUNES has been integratedinto the virtualization part of the Traffic generation process,which has resulted in two improvements: 1) increasing thenumber of generated packet flows while accurately replicating the required statistical properties, and, 2) introducing the ability to run various network scenarios in simulated, as well as real networks, under realistic traffic loads. With respect to the traffic generation capabilities of the previous version of UrBBan-Gen, which was based on Linux containers, the IMUNES based solution demonstrates higher scalability, lower packet loss rates, and lower CPU load for both the UDP traffic at high packet rate and “thin” TCP traffic flows typical for MMORPGs.

The influence of an educational course on language expression and treatment of gaming addiction for massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) players

Addiction to Massive Multiple Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) among juveniles has become a serious problem in Korea and has led to legislation prohibiting juveniles from playing games after midnight. One key factor in gaming addiction is the so-called narrative, or story, gamers create for themselves while playing. This study investigated how a course in writing and speaking using narrative characteristics and content borrowed from the MMORPG ''Dungeon & Fighter (DF)'' influenced language expression and gaming addiction. A total of 59 male high school students who were addicted to online gaming voluntarily participated in an experiment involving an educational course aimed at improving their writing and speaking. Participants were randomly divided into two groups, an experimental group of 27 students and a control group of 32 students (the control group participated in a general course addressing topics and various social issues unrelated to gaming). The experiment consisted of a total of 21 sessions lasting 2 h per day over a period of 2 months. The results of a follow-up examination revealed that participants in the experimental group improved their writing and speaking ability far more than those in the control group. In addition, a pilot ERP study suggested that the educational course in the experiment may reflect how gaming activity is processed in the brain, especially in the fronto-central areas, and thereby influence the course of addiction.

Investigating markers of behavioural addiction in excessive massively multiplayer online role-playing gamers

There is current debate as to whether excessive use of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) constitutes an addiction. The aim of the following two studies was to investigate two markers of behavioural addiction, cue-reactivity and impulsivity, in a sample of MMORPG users. Study 1 employed a rapid serial visual presentation paradigm that required identification and recall of MMORPG or neutral words. Eighteen MMORPG users identified as addicted using the Addiction-Engagement Questionnaire had significantly better recall of MMORPG words compared to neutral words whereas 19 highly engaged and 20 non-MMORPG users showed no differences. These findings are consistent with previous behavioural addiction research. Study 2 explored evidence for trait impulsivity and disinhibition using a continuous performance task and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11. Twenty-three regular MMORPG users and 21 non-gamers did not differ in levels of impulsivity but MMORPG users exhibited significantly lower disinhibition. Significant relationships were found between addiction and both overall impulsivity and the non-planning factor of impulsivity, but not between addiction and the attentional or motor factors of impulsivity. Implications for research conceptualising excessive MMORPG use as a behavioural addiction and methods of identification are discussed

A monument to the player: preserving a landscape of socio-cultural capital in the transitional MMORPG

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) produce dynamic socio-ludic worlds that nurture both culture and gameplay to shape experiences. Despite the persistent nature of these games, however, the virtual spaces that anchor these worlds may not always be able to exist in perpetuity. Encouraging a community to migrate from one space to another is a challenge now facing some game developers. This paper examines the case of Guild Wars® and its “Hall of Monuments”, a feature that bridges the accomplishments of players from the current game to the forthcoming sequel. Two factor analyses describe the perspectives of 105 and 187 self-selected participants. The results reveal four factors affecting attitudes towards the feature, but they do not strongly correlate with existing motivational frameworks, and significant differences were found between different cultures within the game. This informs a discussion about the implications and facilitation of such transitions, investigating themes of capital, value perception and assumptive worlds. It is concluded that the way subcultures produce meaning needs to be considered when attempting to preserve the socio-cultural landscape.

Identifying the Attractive Attributes of the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game Designs

The Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) industry is growing rapidly. A MMORPG is composed of many design attributes; therefore, the game developers cannot satisfy all of the design attributes due to the constraint of development resources and the time-to-market pressure of the product. The purpose of this study is to help game developers to make the trade-off decision of where to invest their limited resources to implement critical design attributes. To better understand the relationship between attributes performance and satisfaction, the two-dimensional quality model, Kano model, is applied to identify the key attributes in satisfaction. Results indicated that these design attributes of MMORPGs were classified into different quality categories, including attractive, one-dimensional, must-be and indifferent qualities. By applying the Kano quality classifications, the attractive and important design attributes can be identified. It also can help game designers determine the priority to resolve the trade-offs dilemma in multiple-attribute optimization of satisfaction for MMORPG design.

A Qualitative Analysis of Online Gaming Addicts in Treatment

Online gaming addiction is a relatively under-researched area and there have been few studies examining online gamers in treatment. This paper reports the findings from a qualitative interview study of nine players undergoing treatment for their addictive playing of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs). A face-to-face interview study with nine online gaming addicts was carried out using Grounded Theory. The six most reported phenomena by the participants were: (i) entertainment search, (ii) virtual friendship, (iii) escapism and/or dissociation, (iv) game context, (v) control versus no control, and (vi) conflict. The findings suggest that players’ initial gaming motivation is because of three factors: (i) entertainment, (ii) escapism, and/or (iii) virtual friendship. MMORPG addiction appears once the playing time significantly increases, coupled with a loss of control and a narrow behavior focus. These factors lead to problems and result in psychological dependence and serious life conflicts. The consequences of MMORPG addiction are similar to the consequences of more established substance addictions including salience, mood modification, loss of control, craving, and serious adverse effects. Additionally, in some cases, tolerance and relapse may also be present.

A Case Study of Using Online Communities and Virtual Environment in Massively Multiplayer Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) as a Learning and Teaching Tool for Second Language Learners

Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) create large virtual communities. Online gaming shows potential not just for entertaining, but also in education. This research investigates the use of commercial MMORPGs to support second language teaching. MMORPGs offer virtual safe spaces in which students can communicate by using their target second language with global players. Using a mix of ethnography and action research, this study explores the students’ experiences of language learning and performing while playing MMORPGs. The results show that the use of MMORPGs can facilitate language development by offering fun, informal, individualised and secure virtual spaces for students to practise their language with native and other second language speakers.

Performing self, performing character: Exploring gender performativity in online role-playing games

Online narrative (fiction-based) role-playing games and massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) provide a ludic structure in which role players enact the gender and sexuality of their avatars. To investigate how role players perceive and perform their avatars' gender and sexuality in online games, I invited role players from MMORPGs and narrative RPGs to participate in an online survey. This study examines how the online game environment mediates players' self-expression and their acceptance of minority identities. Qualitative analysis of the data collected suggests that players who demonstrate empathy with and examination of their avatars' genders and sexualities, and who experience a sense of belonging within the game structure, are able to form positive interpersonal relationships that allow them to accept others' expressed identities.

Online Gaming Addiction? Motives Predict Addictive Play Behavior in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games

Recently, there have been growing concerns about excessive online gaming. Playing Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) appears to be particularly problematic, because these games require a high degree of commitment and time investment from the players to the detriment of occupational, social, and other recreational activities and relations. A number of gaming motives have been linked to excessive online gaming in adolescents and young adults. We assessed 175 current MMORPG players and 90 nonplayers using a Web-based questionnaire regarding their gaming behavior, problems as consequences of gaming, and game motivations and tested their statistical associations. Results indicated that (a) MMORPG players are significantly more likely to experience gaming-related problems relative to nonplayers, and that (b) the gaming motivations escapism and mechanics significantly predicted excessive gaming and appeared as stronger predictors than time investment in game. The findings support the necessity of using measures that distinguish between different types of online games. In addition, this study proves useful regarding the current discussion on establishing (online) gaming addiction as a diagnosis in future categorizations of psychopathology.

Learner interaction in a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG): A sociocultural discourse analysis

AbstractThis exploratory study investigates the linguistic and social interaction of four intermediate EFL learners during game play in a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG). Twelve illustrative episodes drawn from the participants’ text chat, collected in four 70-minute sessions held over a one-month period, are analyzed from a sociocultural perspective. Qualitative analysis reveals the presence of interactional features associated with the development of sociocultural competence. Throughout this study the learners successfully engaged in collaborative social interaction involving dialogue, conducted exclusively in the target language. Participants made appropriate use of politeness involving greetings, informal language, small talk, humor, and leave-takings, as a means to support the operation of collaborative interpersonal relationships. These relationships appeared based on reciprocity, friendship, and teamwork. They were effective in facilitating the creation of a low stress atmosphere characterized by social cohesion that was conducive to co-construction, and the consistent production of coherent target language output. The data indicates that the learners were able to jointly establish, and maintain, states of intersubjectivity through the use of continuers, and requests for assistance relevant to in-game tasks. Learner feedback was positive, and suggests that although the participants found the game play challenging, as this research progressed they became increasingly comfortable as their familiarity with the game increased. Aspects of participation identified by the learners as beneficial included opportunities for risk-taking, enhanced fluency practice, and exposure to vocabulary not normally encountered in regular language classes. The analysis suggests that the game provided access to an environment conducive to forms of collaborative target language use and social interaction identified as beneficial in the sociocultural account of language development.

Gaming as extramural English L2 learning and L2 proficiency among young learners

AbstractToday, playing digital games is an important part of many young people's everyday lives. Claims have been made that certain games, in particular massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) provide L2 English learners with a linguistically rich and cognitively challenging virtual environment that may be conducive to L2 learning, as learners get ample opportunities for L2 input and scaffolded interaction in the L2. In this paper, we present empirical evidence that L2 English proficiency correlates with the frequency of gaming and types of games played. We base our observation on a study among young L2 English learners (N = 86, aged 11–12, Sweden). Data were collected through a questionnaire, a language diary, and three proficiency tests. The questionnaire provided demographic background information but was also targeted at measuring extramural English habits, i.e., learners’ out-of-school contact with English (cf. Sundqvist, 2009). The diary measured how much time the learners spent on seven predetermined extramural English activities during one week, while the tests measured their achieved L2 proficiency regarding reading and listening comprehension, and vocabulary. Previous research among learners aged 15–16 (Sundqvist, 2009) showed positive correlations between playing digital games and L2 proficiency, in particular with regard to vocabulary, and also identified gender-related differences regarding vocabulary (boys outperformed girls) as well as the frequency of gaming and types of games played. These results were corroborated in the present study. A clear pattern emerged from our data: frequent gamers (≥ 5 hours/week) outperformed moderate gamers who, in turn, outperformed non-gamers. Background variables could not explain the between-group differences. Even though the boys might have been more proficient or apt than the girls a priori and, therefore, chose to engage more in L2 gaming, the findings suggest that playing digital games at an early age can be important for L2 acquisition.