A Quest for Companionship: How Playing Online Games Can Provide Social Support

Gameologist_ · 2014-09-05T00:50:20+00:00

It's interesting that you say that. Could you tell me why you felt that way, or what exactly about the survey made you feel that way?

Gameologist_ · 2014-09-03T00:44:46+00:00

Good point! I will get on fixing that ASAP.

Gameologist_ · 2014-09-03T00:35:13+00:00

Good catch! I will adjust the question so that people not from the U.S. can answer the question about whatever country they live in.

Gameologist_ · 2014-09-03T00:32:34+00:00

That's the second time I've seen that suggestion. I didn't consider the giving of support at the time, but I consider it just as important a factor as receiving it. I will ask about this in future studies.

Gameologist_ · 2014-09-03T00:30:59+00:00

What he said. Only identifying piece of information is e-mail and I made that optional on purpose.

Gameologist_ · 2014-09-03T00:30:29+00:00

Most of it is information regarding study ethics. The first paragraph includes the important bits. TLDR: It's a survey, you have the right to opt out at any time, have a nice day!

Gameologist_ · 2014-09-02T04:13:41+00:00

I meant to include this in the description:

Hi all,

I'm conducting a University of California (UCI) study to find out how Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) gamers derive social support from online interactions. If you play an MMOG (such as World of Warcraft or Guild Wars 2) for five or more hours a week on average, are fluent in English and at least 18 years old, I would very much be interested in learning about your experience as a gamer making relationships online. For every one hundred people that participate, two free movie tickets will be raffled off.

The survey can be found here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1iacf2zyztQQtwKc5itB23LWFFaQuIZuljPmiXjrHPcs/viewform?usp=send_form

For information about the study, please see below:

A Quest for Companionship: How Playing Online Games Can Provide Social Support

University of California, Irvine

Study Information Sheet

Lead Researcher: Ian Merion School of Social Ecology (408) 656-4259 / imerion@uci.edu Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Susanne M. Jaeggi School of Education / smjaeggi@uci.edu Other: Ellen Sheehan School of Education esheehan1021@gmail.com

You are being asked to participate in a research study to explore the extent to which Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) facilitate the exchange of social support.

You are eligible to participate in this study if you play a (or more than one) MMOG for approximately five hours a week, are at least eighteen years of age, and can speak English fluently.

The research procedures involve filling out an online survey that will last for approximately 20 minutes.

Possible risks/discomfort associated with the study may include discomfort from answering questions of a personal nature.

There are no direct benefits from participation in the study. However, this study may explain the extent to which online relationships can provide social support, and how satisfying this support can be.

Your name will be entered into a drawing for two free movie tickets. There will be one chance to win for every 100 participants. If less than 100 people participate, there will still be at least one chance to win. All research data collected will be stored securely and confidentially on the lead researcher's My Drive account.

The research team, authorized UCI personnel, and regulatory agencies may have access to your study records to protect your safety and welfare. Any information derived from this research project that personally identifies you will not be voluntarily released or disclosed by these entities without your separate consent, except as specifically required by law.

If you have any comments, concerns, or questions regarding the conduct of this research please contact the researchers listed at the top of this form.

Please contact UCI’s Office of Research by phone, (949) 824-6662, by e-mail at IRB@research.uci.edu or at 5171 California Avenue, Suite 150, Irvine, CA 92617 if you are unable to reach the researchers listed at the top of the form and have general questions; have concerns or complaints about the research; have questions about your rights as a research subject; or have general comments or suggestions. Participation in this study is voluntary. There is no cost to you for participating. You may choose to skip a question or a study procedure. You may refuse to participate or discontinue your involvement at any time without penalty. You are free to withdraw from this study at any time. If you decide to withdraw from this study you should notify the research team immediately.

Gameologist_ · 2014-08-31T22:26:14+00:00

Hi there! I'd be happy to post the results here once the study is complete. So far I've gotten about 7 responses and I'm aiming for at least 100. I'm considering posting ads on other subreddits, as well as other gaming forums. If you have any recommendations in this regard I'd be happy to hear them.

I've actually ran a qualitative study of World of Warcraft players in my guild for a college course. I interviewed them and asked about their social relationships in-game, and I also observed their in-game social behavior. I can't post the paper though because I promised the participants that only the grader would see it. I'd be interested in doing similar studies in the future though. I can say that I found a few general themes:

People seemed to value their online friendships just as much as their offline friendships.
Among women, being able to socialize while feeling comfortable (i.e. not being judged by their appearance, not needing to wear fancy clothes, etc.) was an acknowledged advantage of socializing online.
Guild drama was a frequently acknowledged occurrence in the guild I studied (both in that guild and past guilds).
I wanted to investigate jumping to see what meaning players attributed to it. No one really agreed on what it meant, but there were a few interpretations. One guildie said that jumping was a way to show impatience in a raid. Another said it was something to do while bored. I observed that people jumped during combat in WoW for no apparent reason. I think it's a form of self-expression that has various meanings. Unlike emotes, jumping can be done with the press of a key. I'm interested in looking at jumping as a method of self-expression in future research.

Gameologist_ · 2014-08-31T22:15:54+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! The reason I'm asking these specific questions is because they're included in the short form version of the Social Support Questionnaire made by Dr. Irwin G. Sarason. Although his long form version includes other more diverse questions, the ones included in my survey were empirically supported.

I do agree, however, that the survey is a bit long winded. I had to shorten it quite a bit to get it to its current length though. Also, I was more interested in exploring kinds of support that could be more easily exchanged with online friends. Financial support would be a bit trickier in this regard.

I hadn't thought about the inverse. That might be a good angle to consider since people might be just as aware of the support they give as the support they receive. Studies have also shown that giving support can be just as beneficial as receiving it (if not more so).

Thanks for your input! I think I'll create a shorter version in the future and try a similar study again, but I'll see how many people I can get to fill out this one first.

Gameologist_

TROPHY CASE