research-article

Functional or social?: exploring teams in online games

Authors: Yun Huang, Wenyue Ye, Nicholas Bennett, Noshir ContractorAuthors Info & Claims

CSCW '13: Proceedings of the 2013 conference on Computer supported cooperative work

Pages 399 - 408

https://doi.org/10.1145/2441776.2441822

Published: 23 February 2013 Publication History

Abstract

Team collaboration in multi-player online games provides opportunities for players to interact with each other. Facilitating teams has become one of the main design principles to increase social activities. However, there is no research evidence that collaborating on tasks in game teams can produce the desired relational outcome. This paper examines more than half a million solo and team activities during a week in Dragon Nest, an MMO game. We measure the degree of team engagement using the percentage of time played in teams and the percentage of play with repeated teammates, and we then identify different types of players using this. The results show that solo players and team players are two distinct populations and they are highly predictable based on players' in-game status. Moreover, we find that spending more time in teams does not always lead to more social interactions. The interviews with players are conducted to validate the findings.

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Cited By

Gonçalves DPais PGerling KGuerreiro TRodrigues A(2023)Social gamingComputers in Human Behavior10.1016/j.chb.2023.107851147:COnline publication date: 1-Oct-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.chb.2023.107851
Saaty MHaqq DBeyki MHassan TMcCrickard D(2022)Pokémon GO with Social Distancing: Social Media Analysis of Players' Experiences with Location-based GamesProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/35495126:CHI PLAY(1-22)Online publication date: 31-Oct-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3549512
Yuan YCao JWang RYarosh SKitamura YQuigley AIsbister KIgarashi TBjørn PDrucker S(2021)Tabletop Games in the Age of Remote Collaboration: Design Opportunities for a Socially Connected Game ExperienceProceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3411764.3445512(1-14)Online publication date: 6-May-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3411764.3445512
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Index Terms

Functional or social?: exploring teams in online games
1. Human-centered computing

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cover image ACM Conferences

CSCW '13: Proceedings of the 2013 conference on Computer supported cooperative work

February 2013

1594 pages

ISBN:9781450313315

DOI:10.1145/2441776

General Chairs:
Amy Bruckman
Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
,
Scott Counts
Microsoft Research, USA
,
Program Chairs:
Cliff Lampe
University of Michigan, USA
,
Loren Terveen
University of Minnesota, USA

Copyright © 2013 ACM.

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Published: 23 February 2013

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Cited By

Gonçalves DPais PGerling KGuerreiro TRodrigues A(2023)Social gamingComputers in Human Behavior10.1016/j.chb.2023.107851147:COnline publication date: 1-Oct-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.chb.2023.107851
Saaty MHaqq DBeyki MHassan TMcCrickard D(2022)Pokémon GO with Social Distancing: Social Media Analysis of Players' Experiences with Location-based GamesProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/35495126:CHI PLAY(1-22)Online publication date: 31-Oct-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3549512
Yuan YCao JWang RYarosh SKitamura YQuigley AIsbister KIgarashi TBjørn PDrucker S(2021)Tabletop Games in the Age of Remote Collaboration: Design Opportunities for a Socially Connected Game ExperienceProceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3411764.3445512(1-14)Online publication date: 6-May-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3411764.3445512
Meek AElchalakani MBeckett CGrant T(2020)Alternative stabilised rammed earth materials incorporating recycled waste and industrial by-products: Life cycle assessmentConstruction and Building Materials10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.120997(120997)Online publication date: Nov-2020
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Sapienza AZeng YBessi ALerman KFerrara E(2018)Individual performance in team-based online gamesRoyal Society Open Science10.1098/rsos.1803295:6(180329)Online publication date: 20-Jun-2018
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.180329
Wax ADeChurch LContractor N(2017)Self-Organizing Into Winning Teams: Understanding the Mechanisms That Drive Successful CollaborationsSmall Group Research10.1177/104649641772420948:6(665-718)Online publication date: Sep-2017
https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496417724209
Alhazmi EHorawalavithana SSkvoretz JBlackburn JIamnitchi A(2017)An Empirical Study on Team Formation in Online GamesProceedings of the 2017 IEEE/ACM International Conference on Advances in Social Networks Analysis and Mining 201710.1145/3110025.3110094(431-438)Online publication date: 31-Jul-2017
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Mcewan GGutwin C(2017)A Case Study of How a Reduction in Explicit Leadership Changed an Online Game CommunityComputer Supported Cooperative Work10.1007/s10606-017-9282-026:4-6(873-925)Online publication date: 1-Dec-2017
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Kim JKeegan BPark SOh AKaye JDruin ALampe CMorris DHourcade J(2016)The Proficiency-Congruency DilemmaProceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/2858036.2858464(4351-4365)Online publication date: 7-May-2016
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