Multiplayer Online Video Games Research Articles

Связь типов видеоигр и коммуникативных навыков игроков юношеского возраста: систематический обзор литературы с использованием инструмента PRISMA

<p style="text-align: justify;">The article presents a systematic review of studies on the effects of different types of video games on the communication skills of adolescent and young adult gamers. To conduct the systematic review, the PRISMA methodology was used, which offers an algorithm that makes the literature review as objective as possible. This methodology involves searching for articles of interest in databases based on keywords. Of the 1,953 articles retrieved from 2018—2023, 9 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis after going through the identification, screening, and eligibility stages. Based on the results of analysis of data from these studies, video games have the potential to develop communication skills in adolescents and young adults. The most pronounced effect is demonstrated by massively multiplayer online video games (MMOG), since during the game the participants actively interact with each other using oral and written communication. MMOGs motivate players to learn English, its grammar and vocabulary, and the ability to communicate confidently increases the players’ self-esteem and provides skills in intercultural interaction. Further development of issues related to the practical use of MMOGs within the framework of foreign language training courses seems promising.</p>

Introduction of Metaverse to Our Lives and Unlimited Services in the World of Metaverse

Metaverse is a universe that combines our physical reality with the digital virtual world and goes beyond reality with multiple users with a permanent and lasting effect. The virtual world is based on digital people and objects and technologies that enable multi-sensory communication with people, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). It provides highly professional communication in dynamic interactions between digital structures and real time. First, we encountered virtual worlds where avatars could teleport between them. Metaverse’s resurgence has come with social, immersive VR platforms compatible with multiplayer online video games, open game worlds, and AR co-working spaces. Metaverse is a concept that offers opportunities to create virtual communities in the commercial or beyond entertainment world; It is seen that it is a new generation platform that includes the three-dimensional sandbox where metaverse enthusiasts can interact through their avatars and is expressed as the “digital big bang” in cyberspace.

Predicting subscription renewal using binary classification in World of Warcraft

Multiplayer online video games in the past decade have become one of the world's most popular gaming formats. Analyzing player data can provide insights into player behavior, such as how long players continue to play or where they stop playing. This information can help developers to come up with solutions to retain their players. We have compared binary classification algorithms on different time frames of player history data along with level and guild from World of Warcraft – a previously popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), to assess the probability of subscription renewal. Our findings suggest that random forest and decision tree algorithms give the highest accuracy in all cases (more than 90 %). This was achieved using level and guild as parameters along with a combination of active days and total playing time taken from different time frames in the past month along.

Analyzing education based on metaverse technology

The Metaverse is a post-reality universe, a perpetual multi-user environment that combines physical reality and digital virtuality. It is based on the convergence of technologies that enable multisensory interactions with virtual environments, digital objects, and people, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). As a result, Metaverse is a web of social, networked immersive environments on persistent multi-user platforms. It allows for real-time, embodied user communication and dynamic interactions with digital artifacts. Its first incarnation was a web of virtual worlds between which avatars could teleport. The modern Metaverse includes social, immersive VR platforms that are compatible with massive multiplayer online video games, open game worlds, and AR collaborative spaces.
 The aim of the research is to thoroughly examine the perceptions and educational requirements of Metaverse-based education and to investigate its educational applicability. Using a mixed research method, the study investigated instructors' and students' perceptions of the use of the Metaverse in education, as well as the support system for classes that use the Metaverse. And determining the implications for action. plans and directions for its application in education.

Metaverse

The Metaverse is the post-reality universe, a perpetual and persistent multiuser environment merging physical reality with digital virtuality. It is based on the convergence of technologies that enable multisensory interactions with virtual environments, digital objects and people such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Hence, the Metaverse is an interconnected web of social, networked immersive environments in persistent multiuser platforms. It enables seamless embodied user communication in real-time and dynamic interactions with digital artifacts. Its first iteration was a web of virtual worlds where avatars were able to teleport among them. The contemporary iteration of the Metaverse features social, immersive VR platforms compatible with massive multiplayer online video games, open game worlds and AR collaborative spaces.

Curing toxicity – developing design principles to buffer toxic behaviour in massive multiplayer online games

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate toxic behaviour (TB) that significantly harms individuals’ gameplay experience in multiplayer online video games. Multiplayer online video games allow to simultaneously interact with others in real time. They can be considered as digital communities unifying a group of players within a video game. TB is characterized by spreading a bad mood (e.g. upsetting and insulting) leading to unsatisfying outcomes in team-based multiplayer environments.Design/methodology/approachUsing mixed methods, the authors show that handling TB should be addressed more firmly on a level of game design. First, the authors test the explanatory power of the online disinhibition effect (ODE) and its antecedents on TB using a quantitative survey (N = 320) and structural equation modelling. Specifically, the authors show that dissociative anonymity, asynchronicity, solipsistic introjection, dissociative imagination and minimization of authority have a mediated effect through toxic disinhibition as predictors of TB. Second, the authors conduct a focus group workshop (N = 10) with experts from diverse disciplines to derive design principles on a level of game design.FindingsThe results indicate that transparency and imminent feedback are still underutilized elements in game design that can significantly buffer several forms of TB. By developing a heuristic prototype and exemplary design principles in subsequent categories, the authors address all relevant in-game scenarios. With this study, the authors provide researchers and practitioners helpful insights on how to increase the well-being and safety of gaming communities.Originality/valueODE already showed its explanatory potential in the neighbouring context of cyberbullying. Embedded in theories of negative behaviour on the internet, the authors propose a holistic and theory-driven approach to handle TB on a level of game design. The authors’ insights allow for a better understanding of an innovative entity of the dark side of technology diffusion and adverse side effects linked to it.

The social dynamics of multiplayer online videogames in Argentinian and Chilean family contexts: The case of Fortnite

The popularity of multiplayer online videogames (MOVs) in the lives of young people has become a recurrent area of interest for parents and researchers. The use of these platforms has generated concerns regarding the potential negative effects on children’s personal and social development. Additionally, the ways in which players socialize through these games has raised questions concerning what are regarded as the most effective approaches to promote a constructive articulation of virtual and physical worlds. Fortnite, was created by Epic Games in 2017. It can be characterized as a social survival gaming experience and has the most remarkable use on a worldwide scale. The study reported here is a qualitative case study that explores the social dimension of the use of Fortnite and how it impacts on children’s and their parents’ perceptions regarding its use. A total of 82 in-depth interviews were conducted in 2019 with Argentinian and Chilean children between 9 and 18 years of age and their parents. Findings reveal that parents and children have diverging perspectives regarding the social dimension of the game’s immersive experience. The topic developed in this article is of particular relevance to parents and researchers given the current events and widescale use of online platforms due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

What do they think and why it matters? Views of administrators and faculty on the use of Massively Multiplayer Online Games for Learning

Administrators and faculty lead play salient roles in technology integration projects in higher education. Yet, there is little to no availability of information regarding their shared experiences and perceptions as leaders and as decisionmakers in such projects. This article reports the findings of an investigation on problems and challenges associated with technology integration in classrooms and adapting video game in curriculum reform projects, using a Hermeneutic Phenomenological lens in the context of administrator and faculty perceptions. For this study, the researcher interviewed 6 administrators/ faculty members who were key stakeholders in a technology integration in curriculum projects using Massively Multiplayer Online video games in Business courses. The researcher was the lead designer of the project and the data for this study was gathered pre- and post-project completion and reporting of results. The data produced some absorbing and novel results including the motivational pull of video game content versus gameplay usage, developing perspicacity for design project collaboration, and effective procedural approaches to curriculum design/re-design using technology. These findings suggest a paradigm shift in the way video games may be used for education, based on compelling discussions that non-gameplay related contents from video games may be as motivational as playing the games. These contents include the information on game characters and settings within game sites, game wikis, video tutorials, blogs, and game fan sites. The article shares discussions on the possible development of an Instructional Design Model, fusing gameplay with game content in the curriculum. Implications for future research are also shared.

"Who Are the Cyka Blyat?" How Empathy, Impulsivity, and Motivations to Play Predict Aggressive Behaviors in Multiplayer Online Games.

Prior studies have mainly focused on the controversial issue of whether violent video games lead to aggressive behavior in real life. However, data regarding antisocial behavior while playing online are still scarce. In this study, we examined the relationship between toxicity (a form of verbal aggressive behavior directed against other players) in multiplayer online video games and several potential predictors such as personality traits, emotion reactivity, and motivations to play. A large-scale survey (n = 816) was conducted among French-speaking adult gamers, assessing video game habits, impulsivity, empathy, emotion reactivity, and motivations to play (i.e., socialization, achievement, immersion). Results showed that younger age, being male, spending a lot of time playing per week, and being highly achieving increased the likelihood of reporting toxicity and change of behavior in game. High emotional reactivity and being high in two dimensions of impulsivity (negative urgency and sensation seeking) increased the likelihood of toxic behavior. In contrast, individuals who are more empathic tended to report nontoxic behavior and individuals who play to socialize reported little change in behavior in game. Future research should address the complexity of behaviors displayed during online games-notably through experimental studies allowing direct observation of gamers while they play-and the functional connection between toxicity and several psychological, emotional, and motivational dimensions in further detail. Scientific research would also benefit from the creation and validation of a scale measuring in game, the social and antisocial behaviors.

GENDER DIFFERENCES AMONG MOG PLAYERS IN THEIR SOCIALISATION PROCESSES

The increasing popularity of multiplayer online video games has given rise to the creation of linguistic communities with specific forms of communication and rules. Among the several features of those digital communities, some differences among men’s and women’s communication behaviours seem to be real when they play video games. Thus, the objective of this research is to analyse gender differences in the socialisation process among MOG Players (Multiplayer Online Game). To this aim, this research introduces an experiment with 201 MOG players (males: 147; females: 54) who responded to a survey concerning the use of 20 social communicative acts (based on Guntermann and June, 1982, p. 26) in three different contexts: the participant knew in advance the other player from a) the real world, b) the virtual world, or c) they had never met before. The results obtained from this analysis have shown some differences between both male and female MOG participants in their socialisation process when interacting with other players by determining the frequency and the per cent variation on the use of the selected communicative acts. In conclusion, it seems that there are some similarities and differences between men and women when interacting with MOG players that may interfere in the way they play videogames and behave towards other players.

Investigating multi-player online video games for brain-injured people

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report a pilot experiment to test if multi-player online video games could provide a measurable cognitive therapeutic benefit for brain-injured people. Design/methodology/approach – Single-subject research design with n=3 brain-injured participants. Four alternating intervention and non-intervention weeks. Battery of cognitive tests taken at the start of the experiment and at the end of each week. Findings – Widely varying results with large standard deviation overall. Research limitations/implications – The experimental design was heavily reliant on multiple participants logging in at the same time. Server logs showed that this happened relatively rarely. Practical implications – Implications for the next iteration of the experiment are to refine the game design to avoid the need to synchronise the participants. The findings presented may be of practical use to other researchers in this area. Social implications – Acquired brain injury has been described as an epidemic, and is rising, with stroke being a leading cause. Traumatic brain injury (e.g. due to road traffic accident) has increasing prevalence in low-middle income countries. This research aims to provide a form of therapy to people for whom physical access to rehabilitation services is limited. Originality/value – The use of multi-player online video games as rehabilitation is a relatively unexplored area. A positive result in an experiment of this nature would indicate the potential for a new, complimentary form of cognitive therapy for brain-injured people.

The relationship between aggression and online video game addiction: a study on massively multiplayer online video game players

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between aggression and online video game addiction scores of massively multiplayer online video game players. Methods: Study included 205 participants who are playing massively multiplayer online video games more than 12 months. Mean age of the participant was 23.84±4.5. Data were collected via a personal information form consisting of questions about participants’ demographical background, Turkish version of the Buss-Perry Aggression Scale and Internet Addiction Scale. Correlation, t-test and stepwise regression analyses conducted to analyze the data. Results: Analysis indicated that there was a significantly high correlation between aggression scores and video game addiction scores. Males have significantly higher physical aggression scores than females. Age was negatively correlated with total aggression scores and all the subscale scores of Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (physical aggression, anger, verbal aggression and hostility). There was a negative correlation between age and video game addiction scores. Two subscales (isolation, loss of control) of the addiction scale predicted aggression scores. Conclusion: The present study revealed that there was a significant correlation between aggression and online video game addiction. On the other hand, age was negatively correlated with aggression and video game addiction scores of the participants.

Leadership in Multiplayer Online Gaming Environments

With their increased popularity, games open up possibilities for simultaneous learning on multiple levels; players may learn from contextual information embedded in the narrative of the game and through the risks, benefits, costs, outcomes, and rewards of the alternative strategies that result from fast-paced decision making. Such dynamics also contribute to building relationships and sharing/delegating authority with others, in other words, acquiring leadership skills. Games and simulations have long histories as tools to facilitate learning and training, especially in formats such as board games, role-playing games, and real-life simulations. However, multiplayer online games are rarely used outside military training for leadership development. With its emphasis on transformational leadership skills in distributed teams (DTs), this study presents several findings on leadership in multiplayer online environments, such as INFINITEAMS and EVE ONLINE. To cope with globalization, technological change, and highly competitive environments, leaders of DTs must have a better understanding of the contextual variables in online environments, and massively multiplayer online video games provide robust platforms to test their skills.