The rationalization process of online game cheating behaviors

ABSTRACT

Online deviant behaviors have been prevalent since the Internet became ubiquitous, but research in this field is relatively scarce. The present study investigates a unique deviant behavior in online video gaming communities – game cheating – to further understand the scope of online deviant social behaviors. This paper aims to uncover how game players actively create and negotiate new meanings of game cheating in online games. Six focus groups were conducted to explore the rationalization process for engaging in game cheating among players of different online video games. It was discovered that elements of intentionality, utility, core gaming goals, evolving gaming norm, and social ties to gaming communities serve as important rationalizing process to justify game cheating behaviors. Through the discovery of these mental schemas for online game cheating, the paper discusses how online deviant behaviors are connected with social life online and form a unique online culture.

KEYWORDS:

• Game cheating
• online deviant behaviors
• cyberculture
• mental schema
• gaming culture

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Dr. Vivian Hsueh Hua Chen is an Associate Professor in Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Dr. Chen's research interests include social and cultural impacts of new communication technologies, online social behaviors, digital games, and human computer interaction. She has been awarded a total of approximately US$4 million of external research funding. Dr. Chen has published extensively in well-known journals such as Computers in Human Behavior, New Media & Society, and highly reputable conference proceedings such as ACM CHI and SIGGRAPH. [email: [email protected]].

Jeremy Ong is a graduate student in the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His research interest lies in investigating the social-cultural aspects of online video games and the impact of new technologies on communication habits. He has presented papers at international conferences such as the International Communication Association Conference and the International Association for Media and Communication Research. [email: [email protected]].