Toxic Teammates or Obscene Opponents? Influences of Cooperation and Competition on Hostility between Teammates and Opponents in an Online Game

Abstract

Hostility among players is an ongoing problem for many types of online games, where the competitive, “high stakes” nature of ranked competitiveness may foster anti-social behavior among game players. Not all games are created equal, however, as more online games now afford players with the opportunity to either play as characters with cooperative goals or choose less competitive game environments. Does the mere presence of a competitive environment or a cooperative teammate affect hostile responses in violent online games? An online field experiment was conducted to answer these questions using a 2 (game mode competitiveness: casual vs. ranked) x 2 (cooperative behavior: present vs. absent) x 2 (player allegiance: teammate vs. opponent) between-subjects design. Results suggest that teammates are typically more hostile to each other than to opponents, particularly in the absence of cooperative behavior. Previous work has postulated that opponents would be more likely to exhibit negative behaviors, but the results of this study indicate that players experience more negative behaviors from teammates, especially when the team is not working together. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.

Are There Differences in Video Gaming and Use of Social Media among Boys and Girls?—A Mixed Methods Approach

“…Apart from distinguishing between video games played on consoles and computers and those played on smartphones and tablets, this study did not explore possible nuances between different game genres or titles. As pointed out by McLean and colleagues, video games can have unique environments and very different user bases [ 55 ]. Consequently, the findings from this study may not be generalizable to specific game genres or titles.…”

Prevalensi Pelaku Dan Korban Bullying Serta Hubungannya Dengan Perilaku Bermain Game Online Yang Mengandung Kekerasan Dan Pola Asuh Orang Tua Pada Anak-Anak Sekolah Dasar Di Denpasar

“…Tidak jarang, luapan emosi tersebut menyebabkan seorang anak menjadi korban bullying. Selain itu, anak yang tidak bermain game online paling banyak menjadi korban saja karena kerap dianggap sebagai anak yang tidak gaul dan sering diejek oleh temannya 19 .…”