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In this study, the aim was to examine how small-group collaboration is shaped by individuals interacting in a virtual multiplayer game. The data were collected from a design experiment in which six randomly divided groups of four university students played a voice-enhanced game lasting about 1 h. The 'eScape' game was a social action adventure developed as a part of the study. In the analysis of the video data, students' discourse functions during the game were analysed with content analytic methods for studying the nature of their interaction. An effort was made to analyse the data on both group and individual levels, and therefore the participants' prior social ties and experience in gaming were studied as well. The results showed that the students' main discourse functions in their conversation were Question, Content Statement, Instruction or Order and Response. It was found that individual students, especially those with prior knowledge of gaming or prior social ties, can have a major impact on the social interaction and the outcome of collaboration. It can be concluded that the eScape game allowed the students to engage in true and constructive collaborative activity, and in the future multiplayer games could be used, for example, to promote group cohesion and development, when employed in a pedagogically meaningful manner.

The ambiguous and highly subjective meanings assigned to the word "interaction '' makes it difficult for the researchers and practitioners, who work in the area of virtual environments and applications, to communicate and join their research efforts. The aim of this work is to provide more understanding on the interaction occurring inside Networked Virtual Environments (Net-VE) by analysing the communicative and social aspects of computer-mediated interaction in multi-player games. The work is conducted using conceptual analysis by applying Communicative Action Theory as a scientific framework. The main contribution of this work is the proposed interaction taxonomy which is analysed in the light of social theory. The successful application of social theory framework as a tool to analyse interaction indicates the importance of joining the research effort of various disciplines in order to achieve better results in the area of Net-VE interactions.

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