https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5479-0077
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Abstract
Videogames raise concerns about excessive gaming that lead to neglect of social relationships and obligations. In this article we develop an empirically grounded, sociological explanation for why players engage in excessive gaming. Theorizing that online multiplayer games encourage social capital acquisition, we examine if, how, and why social pressure leads players to engage in excessive gaming. Based on in-depth interviews with 21 players, we identify three forms of social pressure: social persuasion among gaming friends; social obligation in highly organized and hierarchically structured game-groups; and social coercion in highly competitive game-groups.
Additional information
Funding
This work was supported by Research Foundation Flanders.