Work

Playing mean: Does it imply a mean player?

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Games allow players significant freedom to express themselves and behave as they see fit. As a consequence, in some games more than others, we may encounter hostile behavior. We explored whether players behaving in this manner are simply expressing their personality traits in the game or, rather, adopting this playstyle regardless of them. We conducted a three-year study observing over 250 people playing the turn-based, player-versus-player strategy game Diplomacy. Subjects were asked to fill out a questionnaire to determine their score on the social dominance orientation (SDO) scale—with a return rate of approx. 54%—while their in-game playstyle was analyzed for manifestations of hostile behavior. We found no statistically significant correlation between hostile in-game behavior and participants’ SDO score. However, we did find significant positive correlations between some aspects of this behavior and their success.

Source: Cyberpsychology Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace

DOI: 10.5817/cp2024-3-6

Authors: Jakub Drmola, Jan Kleiner

Institution: Masaryk University

Language: English

Topic: Digital Games and Media

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: Masarykova Univerzita