The seriousness of massive multiplayer online games: the case of Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes

ABSTRACT

The massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMOG), Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes (SWGoH), inspired by the iconic film Star Wars, attracts many players who form guilds and play as a form of entertainment. This study aimed to explore how the activities performed in this online video game may help players develop certain types of competencies, and whether the competencies developed could be considered key elements in the performance of other, more serious, leisure-related activities. An explanatory case study research strategy was chosen with participant observation as the main method of data collection. Results show that SWGoH promotes the development of competencies before, during, and after play. The competencies most often observed were leadership, time management, team management, and goal-setting, while four key elements of the serious leisure perspective predominated: systematisation, perseverance, obligations and responsibilities, and skills and knowledge.

KEYWORDS:

• Competencies
• star wars
• mmogs
• guilds
• serious leisure

Acknowledgments

The Authors thank the two anonymous reviewers for providing helpful feedback on an earlier version of this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ana Cecilia Reyes Uribe

Ana Cecilia Reyes Uribe is an associate professor in the Department of Tourism, Recreation, and Service at the University of Guadalajara, México. With a Ph.D. in Human Ecology at the University of Alberta in Canada, a Master of Arts in International Hotel and Tourism Management at Schiller International University in England, and a Master´s degree in Management and Tourism Administration at the University of Alicante in Spain. Her research interests focus on leisure and tourism research. Her research has addressed issues around leisure behaviors, motivations, and experiences.

Simón Carlos González Flores

Simón Carlos González Flores is an associate professor at the Institute of Knowledge Management and Learning in Virtual Environments at the University of Guadalajara. He is a Ph.D. student in Educational Systems and Environments at the University of Guadalajara. He has a master's degree in learning technologies from the University of Guadalajara, and a Master's in e-learning oriented in instructional design at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. He also has a bachelor’s in educational development from Universidad La Salle Guadalajara. His research interests are in training by professional competencies, technological development for educational systems, and gamification.