Physical Interpersonal Relationships and Social Anxiety among Online Game Players

Abstract

Many online game players spend inordinate amounts of time in their favorite virtual worlds. A large percentage of these players are teenagers who show behaviors normally associated with physical addiction. Parents, educators, and social scientists are therefore saying that online games are sources of social problems. The authors surveyed 174 Taiwanese college-age online players to collect data on the potential effects of online games on the quality of interpersonal relationships and levels of social anxiety. According to the results, the quality of interpersonal relationships decreased and the amount of social anxiety increased as the amount of time spent playing online games increased.

Social Interactions in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Gamers

“…[6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Research has also been carried out examining the potentially harmful effects playing computer games may have on social development, self-esteem, social inadequacy, and social anxiety. [13][14][15] MMORPGs are very (virtually) socially interactive, but little social interaction in the real world is needed when playing them because, unlike some popular two-player console games such as Mortal Kombat, only one person can play an MMORPG at any one time from a single computer.…”

Understanding problematic game behavior : prevalence and the role of social cognitive determinants

“…It can, for example compromise work or school performance (Gen le, 2009), interpersonal rela onships (Lo, Wang, & Fang, 2005), other leisure ac vi es and sleep hygiene . In these cases, game behavior is out of control.…”

“…Several studies suggest that uncontrolled game use has nega ve effects on psychosocial wellbeing, such as loneliness and social anxiety (Lo, Wang, & Fang, 2005). On the other hand, it is also argued that psychosocial problems are causing problema c gaming pa erns .…”

Pokémon go and social anxiety : a therapeutic platform

“…Online video games bring together unfamiliar players together, but they have been shown to increase social anxiety tendencies with its players (Lo, Wang & Fang, 2005), this is partly due to the players not getting enough practice interacting with people face to face while playing online especially if the players are engaged in intense competitive online games. Outdoor games are usually too engaging leaving little to no room for player interaction during gameplay, while at the same time requiring high expertise/skill that increased anxiety amongst new players (Norton, Burns, Hope & Bauer,2000).…”

“…There have been mixed results over the years, with some research tending to show that video games had an adverse effect on social anxiety (Lo, Wang & Fang, 2005), while some studies showing the opposite (Pearce, Boellstorff & Nardi, 2011). This is mostly due to the specific distinctions over their subject matter ranging from competitive faceless dynamics for the former to supportive/cooperative avatar relationships for the latter.…”