Linda K. Kaye 1, Rachel Kowert 2 & Sally Quinn 3 The role of social identity and online social capital on psychosocial outcomes in MMO players Linda K. Kaye 1, Rachel Kowert 2 & Sally Quinn 3 1 Edge Hill University, UK; 2 University of Münster; 3 University of York, UK

Effects of online gaming Online gaming engagement Psychosocial outcomes

What is gaming “engagement”? Typical hours per week spent playing (> 1 hour per week = “gamer”) Problematic versus non-problematic (Caplin et al., 2009; Collins & Freeman, 2013) Heavy vs light (Lo et al., 2005) Type of gaming engagement Online videogamer vs Non online videogamer (Kowert et al., 2015) Solo versus social gamer Self-identification “Gamer” versus “non-gamer” (Green & Bavelier, 2006) Hard-core, casual, social, professional (Kaye, 2016) Composite measures of “Involvement”: social identity, with play frequency and game variety (Kowert & Oldmeadow, 2014)

Effects of online gaming Maybe there is something missing here? Online gaming engagement Psychosocial outcomes

Social affordances in MMOs Social presence with others Social context Quality of relationships with other players Gaming context Connectedness with other players Player Social dynamics Sense of community/social identity

Overview Social Identity Self-esteem MMO engagement Social capital Loneliness MMO involvement Online bridging To what extent does social identity to MMOs mediate MMO engagement and psychosocial outcomes? Do different types of involvements in MMO communities hold differential outcomes for the components of social capital for MMO players? To what extent does social identity and online social capital obtained through MMOs mediate the link between MMO engagement and psychosocial outcomes? Method MMO engagement (type of gamer, frequency of play, involvement in wider gaming activities- play MMOs with online-only friends, “real world friends”, contribute to MMO discussion boards, interact with MMO players outside game environment). Social identity as a MMO player (Group Identification Scale; Doosje, Ellmers, & Spears, 1995) Online social capital (Internet Social Capital Scale; Williams, 2006). Self-esteem (Self Esteem Scale; Rosenberg, 1965) Loneliness (UCLA loneliness scale; Russell, Peplau, & Ferguson, 1978) Social competence (CPI:SY subscale of the IPIP Scale; Gough & Bradley, 1996) Life satisfaction (Oxford Happiness Questionnaire; Hills & Argyle, 2002). Social competence Online bonding

Findings Social Identity Self-esteem MMO engagement Social capital Loneliness MMO involvement β = .41, p < .01 Online bridging β = .11, p < .01 Social competence Online bonding β = .31, p < .01

Findings Self-esteem Social Identity MMO engagement Social capital Loneliness MMO involvement β= .41 p < .01 Online bridging Social competence β = .31, p < .01 Online bonding β = -.15, p < .01

Findings Social capital MMO involvement All + and p < .001 Play MMO with online-only friends Online bridging Play MMOs with real world friends Contribute to MMO discussion boards Online bonding Interact with MMO players outside game environment

Summary of findings Composite MMO involvement associated with: Social identity (+) Online social capital factors(+) All MMO involvement activities related to both online social capital components MMO Social identity related to: Self-esteem (+) Loneliness (-) Online bonding related to:

Implications for the future Involvement in MMOs involves many facets Further research needs to avoid general recruiting of “online gamers” (or “gamers”) and instead focus on context-specific game domains for more nuanced account of social affordances

Implications for the future Greater consistency needed in future research studies to agree on how we are conceptualising gaming “engagement” This can help us better determine how we establish: Who is a “gamer” (more than simply hours per week spent playing) How we recruit participants for digital gaming research How gaming domain identification interacts with gaming outcomes Whether previous inconsistencies in gaming research may have occurred as a result of these conceptual discrepancies

Want to know more? Linda.kaye@edgehill.ac.uk http://lindakkaye.wix.com/dr-linda-kaye @LindaKKaye http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Linda_K_Kaye

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