作者：Joel Winbanks

一直以来，人们心目中的游戏玩家就是一个逃离外界宅在房间里玩视频游戏的青年形象。游戏玩家与普通人群的最大不同就是他们多是一个人玩游戏而缺少社交互动。然而在当今社会，越来越多人不再只是单独或局限于朋友圈子玩游戏了。随着日新月异的科技发展，如今的游戏已经变成能与朋友，亲戚或其他玩家进行交流的工具了。这种变化包括一台电脑上的游戏玩家从单人变成多人，或者玩家可以在线与其他玩家交流游戏信息等。本文的主要目的是描述如今游戏已不再只是早前宅男的消遣工具了，而变成了越来越多人用于社会互动的社交工具。本文将把第一人称射击游戏社区的团队（经常被称为“clans”）与传统体育社区做比较，以分析这两个不同类型活动的属性。同时，社交网站上的休闲社交游戏因能够促进玩家与朋友和亲人间的对话和交流而大受欢迎。本文最后将以大型多人在线角色扮演游戏为例，描述玩家从现实生活转变到游戏世界中的人际关系变化。包括青少年，中年父母，以及祖父母在内的各种人群都把游戏当成一种社交活动，积极地面对整个社会，与社会进行交流。

玩家玩游戏（特别是第一人称射击游戏）的两大动机是打败对手和提高游戏技巧。像《使命召唤》和Xbox 360的多人游戏中都有两组对立的队伍，每个队伍中的个体玩家都是随意组成的，在达到一定数量后这种小组便能够寻找对手进行一些特定的游戏对决。这种易上手的游戏（PUG）其实随处可见，就像在公园里几个人就可以组成一个篮球小队并寻找其他小队进行临时比赛。通过这种社交活动，不同玩家间可以建立起友谊关系，这种关系就像一种“链合性社会资本”，即能够“缩短陌生人之间的关系以达到多样性的网络流通和信息流动。”但是不幸的是，这种团队下的每一名队员实力有可能非常悬殊的，不论是游戏玩家还是公园里的篮球选手。也许一款游戏对于有技巧的玩家来说很简单，但是对于那些还不熟练的玩家来说有可能非常难。而且，在同一个临时团队里，如果玩家之间并不熟悉对方，那么他们的交流和沟通将出现很大的问题。

使命召唤3(from jynamiila.blogspot.com)

避免这种窘境有2个方法：一个是当玩家被编排到一个线上游戏小组后，他应该对这款游戏做更深入的了解；另一个是玩家可以与朋友一起玩同一款游戏。这两种方法对于玩家来说都具有很强的社会包容性，除了面对面交流，游戏中心还能提供给玩家一个额外的交流界面。当玩家进入一个游戏中心或被分派到一个游戏小组中后，玩家将会选择朋友或熟悉的人一起游戏，而因为朋友间的善意玩笑和明朗的竞争使得这种玩家关系变得更加轻松，愉快。Frostling-Henningsson的调查表示，当一个游戏团队中的玩家一起进行游戏时，他们将能更好地了解其他玩家的性格和游戏风格，同时也将能更好地推动这个游戏小组在游戏对决中取得胜利。除此之外，赢得一部分游戏或整盘游戏对于玩家来说都是一种非常愉快的娱乐体验。比起个人玩家，以朋友为单位的游戏小组能够事先知道一些有利信息，包括谁是这个小组中最厉害的防卫者，谁是最强的射击手还有谁是最棒的战术家等，这些信息将能够有效地推动这个小组在游戏中赢得最后胜利。当朋友间决定一起赢得游戏后，他们有可能每天会花费大量的时间一起练习，游戏，也就是他们对于整个小组的责任感大大提升了。而在游戏世界里，玩家在加入一款游戏（例如登陆GameBatteles）后，他的责任感也会随之上升。带着这种责任感，玩家间会相互协作，不断增进友谊，而这种行为与共同参加社交活动其实没两样，因为在这个过程中玩家间的关系会越来越亲密，并真正把自己变成该游戏小组中的一名成员。现实中的篮球比赛和游戏比赛的唯一不同就是，前者要求所有参加人员必须在同一个场所进行比赛，而后者则没有这个限制，除非玩家自己选择这么做。篮球比赛前，比赛后或比赛中所进行的电话通信，团队合作，队员参与和队员享受整个比赛的行为都可以称得上是一种社交行为。通过这个例子（游戏邦注：这并不是唯一的个例），我们能够更明白地看清现实世界的人际关系向游戏世界的人际关系转变。另外一个典型例子就是在Facebook等社交网站上，玩家能够与亲人或朋友一起玩休闲社交游戏。

现代社会的人际关系中涵括了数据领域的一些社交互动，这为社交网站上的休闲社交游戏的发展提供了广大的机遇。Facebook就是个典例，在这个平台上，很多休闲游戏玩家玩游戏只是为了消遣，而并不想投入大量的时间和精力于一款游戏中（游戏邦注：他们并不像第一人称射击游戏玩家和大型多人在线游戏玩家那样专注）。这种休闲游戏通常都比较简单，包括游戏控制和游戏设置都能让玩家轻易上手，并且也能够让玩家有兴趣再邀请其他朋友（包括已经在玩其他游戏的人）一起游戏。比起第一人称射击游戏和大型多人在线游戏注重让玩家在娱乐中得到满足的游戏方式，这种休闲类的社交游戏更倾向于让玩家在娱乐中享受娱乐。但是据Di Loreto和Goua?ch于2010年的调查显示：“在Facebook平台上，只有少部分或者特定游戏中才会出现玩家合作的场面。”而出现这种局面的原因是，在Facebook这个平台上有无数种不同类型的游戏，而玩家在面对众多选择时很难同时在一个游戏中一起体验。但是这些社交游戏都有一些共同功能，包括排行榜，聊天和送礼物功能。当玩家使用Facebook的网络信息进入游戏后，将能真实的感受到这种社交功能。

所以在同一个游戏中，玩家可以知道哪个好友已经玩过哪些游戏，并通过排行榜看到谁是该游戏目前最强的玩家。《宝石迷阵闪电战》就是一个很好的例子。在这款游戏中，玩家可以在游戏主屏幕右侧排行榜中看到其他玩家的最高得分。排行榜功能能够激励玩家，为了取得更高得分并打败其他玩家而努力玩游戏，这么做将有利于激发朋友间的良性竞争，并促进好友间的进一步交流。根据默里（游戏邦注：Murray，心理学家）的心理学分析（特别是其中关于权力和野心追求的分析），开发者想透过排行榜这一功能看到玩家竞争的场面。除此之外，送礼物功能也能帮助推动玩家间的交流，因为有些游戏中规定玩家自己不能得到礼物，“必须经由朋友或者邻居赠送，玩家才能得到礼物”。Facebook上的游戏通过推动朋友间的良性竞争，鼓励朋友在游戏过程中进行交流，而发展出一种关系融洽的社交互动。Facebook上的游戏与大型多人在线游戏存在的重要不同点是，前者通过提供各种不同的游戏帮助玩家在数据领域进一步交流和互动，而后者则更青睐于玩家同时进行游戏，并在游戏中增进关系。

大型多人在线角色扮演游戏是一种基于虚拟世界，由玩家自己创造游戏角色并完成指定任务，收集指定能量，最后打败敌人的游戏。尽管从字面上看，这就是一种“需要组队进行的游戏，玩家需要交换道具和信息才能继续进行游戏”，但是其实玩家也能单独进行游戏。在一些大型多人在线角色扮演游戏（例如《魔兽世界》）中，玩家当到达一定级别时（《魔兽世界》中规定是85级），必须与其他玩家形成一种“友好关系”。而为了形成这种“友好关系”，玩家就必须加入一些“群体”，即基于游戏中的共同兴趣和目的而建立起来的游戏内部关系。在这个“群体”的成员通常是由网友或现实中的朋友，亲人组成的。Williams， Ducheneaut，Xiong，Zhang，Yee和Nickell在研究中发现，绝大多数“群体”，特别是那些成员较少的“群体”，成员们在现实生活中的社交互动大大提高了，“大概有75%的小‘群体’是由现实生活中的朋友或亲人所组成的。”事实上，在游戏中形成“群体”关系有助于玩家在现实生活中的关系培养。按照这种方式形成的“群体”关系就像是现实中的朋友组成一个团队，一起参加网上或者现实生活中的比赛一样。

从上述的描写中，们看到玩家能够通过游戏促进现实中的朋友和亲人关系。但是，包括玩家最初一个人进行的大型多人在线角色扮演游戏中所体现的社交利益和可能性也是我们不能忽视的一个问题。虽然在这种游戏的起始阶段玩家是单独玩游戏的，但是随着游戏的渐进，玩家间的游戏将会变得越来越强烈。这种情况跟新职员进公司的情况类似。刚就职时，他肯定谁都不认识，但是随着时间的流逝，他可能会在公司里交到好朋友，并且会把这种友好关系延伸到日常生活中。同时，通过在大型多人在线角色扮演游戏中与玩家建立起友好关系还能帮助玩家进一步拓宽“社会联系”。游戏内部功能还包括各种各样的聊天渠道，玩家通过使用这些功能能对好友说出自己的个人需求，并与好友讨论游戏战略，或者是进行最纯粹的交谈。同时玩家还可以在游戏中使用“人物行为”，例如招手，跳舞或拥抱等现实生活中会出现的行为与好友交流。游戏内聊天主要是通过网络电话，“群体”网站，论坛和即时通讯等功能进行的。这些功能在玩家的游戏过程中都是必不可缺的，即“在成人玩家和青年玩家中最受欢迎的功能要数社交功能，而且如果一个玩家的留言板上有超过69%的回应，那么就表示这个玩家非常擅长社交互动。”从上述描述以及玩家玩游戏的原因，我们可以看出他们玩游戏不只是为了玩游戏，而且也希望能够从中结交到志趣相投的好友。

总结

文章的前部分提到了早前关于游戏玩家的描述已经不再适用于当今社会的游戏玩家了，随着英特网的发展，游戏以不再是早前那种个人游戏，而变成玩家进行社交互动的重要工具了。因为英特网的普及，玩家现在可以在第一人称射击游戏中与好友们进行更频繁的互动和交流。玩家可以相互交流，在同一个时间玩同一种游戏，甚至在同一个游戏小组中，或者他们也可以在当地的游戏中心进行一些面对面的游戏。同时，Facebook上也为那些不想或者没时间与朋友同步进行游戏的玩家提供了一些异步的休闲社交游戏。玩家通过在Facebook平台上使用排行榜，赠送礼物和聊天等功能，可以与其他好友进行在线社交互动，尽管这种互动较为被动。很多一起进行《魔兽世界》游戏的朋友和亲人通过游戏增强了彼此之间的友好关系。通过使用各种交流渠道，包括聊天，游戏内的角色动画，语音交流工具，网站和论坛等，大型多人在线角色扮演游戏可以称得上是最具有社交性的消遣游戏。最后是关于游戏的三点贴切总结：游戏不再是单人游戏；游戏不再是一种反社交行为；当前的游戏是全世界好几百万玩家一起进行的社交活动。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

The Sociability of Gaming

by JoelWinbanks

The long standing description of a gamer has been of an adolescent male, commonly thought of as overweight, locked in a room away from everyone else, playing video games (“Gaming students break stereotypes,” 2003). The key distinguishing element to the description is often that the people playing games are doing so alone, with little to no social interaction. However, in our current day and age, playing games by yourself without the option of socialising with or playing alongside friends while you do so is rapidly decreasing. There have been a number of technological developments in the past that have helped enable gaming to become a social, engaging and interactive experience with friends, family and other players. Such changes include the increase from single to multiple players per console or the ability to play, communicate and store game information online. The aim of this paper will be to show how gaming is a social activity enjoyed by a wide variety of people who do not exactly fit the description previously stated. During the discussion of this topic, the teams (often referred to as ‘clans’) created in First Person Shooter (FPS) game communities will be compared with traditional sports communities to illustrate the comparative nature of the two activities. Also, the social casual games that exist on social networking sites will be highlighted for their ability to generate conversation and stimulate social behaviour among friends and family. Finally, the guilds formed in Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG’s) will be used as an example of existing relationships carried over from ‘real life’ to gaming worlds and vice-versa. By the end of the paper, gaming will be shown as the social activity that it is, for players who range from teenage boys to middle aged mums to elderly grandparents, who are not necessarily anti-social.

Two of the key motivations for those who play games, especially First Person Shooter (FPS) games, are the drive to beat the opposition and the desire to improve overall game skill (Frostling-Henningsson, 2009). Using the multiplayer portion of the Call of Duty series and the Xbox 360 as a basis, we can appropriate an analogy made by an interviewee in Frostling-Henningsson’s (2009) paper and compare gaming to team sports. For example, multiplayer (played online using the Xbox Live system) pits two teams against each other. Each opposing side consists of individual players that are randomly put together to make up the numbers after searching for a team to play a specific game type with. This type of pick-up game (PUG) can also be seen in the local parks where players can form teams for a game of basketball with whomever is at the park, looking for a game and ready to play. Players can form friendships through this practice which is known as ‘bridging social capital’, defined as “the loose connections between relative strangers that lead to diverse networks and information streams” (Williams, Ducheneaut, Xiong, Zhang, Yee, & Nickell, 2006, p. 339).

Unfortunately, the situation produced by this method of team creation is not ideal because the skill level of players – both online and at the park – may be significantly different, making the game either too easy for the more skilled players or too difficult for the less skilled ones. Not having some familiarity with the other players can lead to a lack of communication and socialising within the temporary team.

Two solutions to the predicament are available: the ability to search for games while grouped with other players in what is known online as a ‘party’ and going to a gaming centre with friends.

Either choice provides a sense of social inclusion for the player, with gaming centre’s providing an extra layer of interaction through face to face communication. When grouping as a party or playing at a gaming centre, gamers will often choose friends or acquaintances to play with, as it increases the likelihood that the game will be more entertaining due to friendly gibes or jovial competition which may not be welcomed by unfamiliar players in a PUG. Frostling-Henningsson’s research (2010) found that playing together increased knowledge of other players’ personalities and play styles which, when used in-game, could lead to the teams’ efforts resulting in a win. Additionally, winning a portion of a game or the game overall may contribute to a person’s enjoyment.

Comparatively, instead of individual players going to the park, a team of friends may meet there, ready to play. In this case, the team already knows who their main shooter is and who their best rebounder is, as well as other beneficial information about their team. In a gaming context, players may know who their best defender, best shooter or best tactician is adding to the chance of success of that team. Those same friends may decide they want to increase their commitment to spending time with each other by signing up for a competition requiring they play a weekly game. In the world of gaming, players are able to undertake a similar commitment by registering a team with sites such as GameBattles. By making the commitment to the team, the players work towards strengthening their friendship as well as their gaming abilities by participating in a social activity together, becoming team mates and comrades in the process. The only real difference between those that play basketball and those that play games is that the former need to be in the same location to play, whereas the latter do not unless they choose to be. There is still the same amount of socialisation taking place through voice communication, teamwork, participation and enjoyment of the game as there is before, after and during a basketball game. This example, though, is not the only case in which a pre-existing relationship is carried over to the gaming community. Another key example is the prevalence of Facebook and other social networking sites’ games, in which friends and family are able to play social casual games with one another.

It is this premise – that modern relationships have some form of social connection in the digital space – that creates the opportunity for social networking sites to incorporate social casual games. On Facebook in particular, the games are intended for the casual player who is looking for something to fill in some spare time with, but who may be uninterested in dedicating the same substantial time and effort to a game (per play session and overall) that other game genres may require (such as FPS’s and MMORPG’s) (Fleming Seay, Jerome, Sang Lee & Kraut, 2004; Di Loreto & Goua?ch, 2010). The games are designed to be easy to learn by employing simple controls and game mechanics, so as to encourage participation with friends already playing a particular game. The games within the social casual ‘genre’ are also designed with a stronger focus on entertainment-through-amusement, rather than the entertainment-through-satisfaction that genres like FPS and MMORPG’s have. Unfortunately though, as Di Loreto and Goua?ch (2010) point out in their research, “only in rare and particular circumstances do games in Facebook adopt a real collaborative approach”. The reason for this is the asynchronous style in which many Facebook games are made, meaning it is uncommon for players to simultaneously play a game together. However, the games achieve extended playability through incorporation of social features such as leaderboards, chat and gifts. One example of the way this sense of socialisation is achieved is through the use of a player’s Facebook network information.

The game discovers which friends of the player are already playing that particular game and displays a leaderboard showing who has performed the best in the game so far. A good example of this can be seen in the game Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook in which a leaderboard is displayed to the right of the main game screen showing the highest scores of other players. Through the inclusion of this feature, players can be motivated to try and beat the top score or to obtain a higher level which generates friendly competition, enjoyment and a sense of social interaction amongst friends. The competitiveness displayed as a result of the leaderboard is exactly what the game developers intended to occur, as it is a model example of Murray’s Psychogenic Needs at work, specifically the Power and Amibition Needs (Di Loreto & Goua?ch, 2010). Additionally, the element of gift giving and receiving is a part of some games and requires interaction among players because some items are unable to be obtained by themself in which case “the player has to receive them as gifts from his/her neighbors/friends” (Di Loreto & Goua?ch, 2010). The design of Facebook’s social casual games capitalise on the online associations of players by breeding friendly competition and the offline relationships by stimulating conversation amongst friends about the games they play. While Facebook games illustrate the connection and interaction of existing offline relationships in the digital space by way of asynchronous game play, Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG’s strengthening of relationships is promoted through simultaneous play and interaction with other players.

MMORPG’s are, generally, fantasy based virtual worlds in which players create a character and progress through the world by levelling up through the completion of quests, the collecting of resources for professions and the killing of creatures. The games can be played solo, though it is ill-advised as “players often have to band together to accomplish the game’s objectives, and trading items and information is essential to a player’s advancement” (Ducheneaut, Yee, Nickell & Moore, 2007, p. 839). In some MMORPG’s (such as World of Warcraft (WoW)), once a character reaches the level limit (level 85 in WoW at time of writing) it is especially important to have some affiliation with other players. To obtain this affiliation, players will usually join what is known as a Guild: an in-game association of characters with similar interests or goals within the game. Guilds are often formed by players that group together regularly, by online and offline friends and occasionally by families. Williams, Ducheneaut, Xiong, Zhang, Yee and Nickell (2006) discovered through their research that for many guilds, especially ones with smaller member numbers, “the social interactions were extensions of real-world social bonds” (2006, p. 345) and that “roughly 75% of small guilds featured some founding unit of real-life friends or family” (2006, p. 346). The game, as well as being a part of the same guild, can be a way to sustain offline bonds. In fact, one guild from the aforementioned research contained four real-world extended families.

The formation of guilds in this manner is akin to the example of friends teaming up to participate in both offline and online games focused around existing, real world relationships.

It has been explained that gamers can use gaming as a way of bonding and strengthening their offline relationships between friends and family. However, it should also be noted that the social benefits and possibilities regarding MMORPG’s include those players who initially play the games alone. Though they begin playing by themselves, these gamers still provide a strong case for the sociability of gaming as over time strong lasting friendships (and in some cases romantic relationships (Poisso, 2009)) can be formed with other players met in-game. The formation of these relationships can be compared with an employee going to a new job, where they may not know anyone else. After time, the employee may develop friendships (or a romantic relationship) with co-workers that carry over to non-work environments. However, it is with these players that we can explore a variety of avenues for communication amongst MMORPG players which could assist both ‘social bridging’ and ‘social bonding’ (Williams, Ducheneaut, Xiong, Zhang, Yee, & Nickell, 2006). In-game features include a number of chat channels (WoW examples include guild, party, general and trade chats, as well as whispers) used to communicate the needs of an individual, discuss tactics or for purely social conversation. There are also character actions, such as waving, dancing, and hugging, as well as many more that can help communicate visual cues to other players, which would normally be observed in offline situations. Out-of-game communications exist in the form of Voice over IP (VoIP) software (for those who wish to speak to other players instead of typing), guild websites, forums and instant messaging programs. All the features listed play a key role in players’ enjoyment of the game as “the most popular features among both adult and adolescent players were the social features” (Griffiths, Davies & Chappell, 2004, p. 93) and “sixty-nine percent of respondents indicated that they communicate outside of the game with fellow gamers” (Fleming Seay, Jerome, Sang Lee & Kraut, 2004, p. 1423). These figures, plus the desire to play for social reasons, show that gaming is not necessarily all about the game itself, but about using the game as a catalyst to engage with other like-minded individuals.

This paper has shown that the clichéd description mentioned at the start of this paper regarding what a gamer is seems to be an unjustified perspective in today’s society, as through the use of the internet, gaming has become a form of social interaction that is a far cry from the days of solo playing. For those that play First Person Shooter games, there are a number of opportunities to socialise with friends thanks to the internet. Players can connect to each other and play in the same game at the same time – even in the same team – or they can meet up at the local gaming centre for some face-to-face fun. For those that do not have the inclination or time to play a game simultaneous with friends there are the asynchronous Facebook social casual games. The games participated in over Facebook generate online social interaction between friends and family through the use of leaderboards, gifting and chat. Though it is more of a passive social interaction, the interaction and engagement is still there. Then there are the friends and families who play World of Warcraft together, who are strengthening their relationships with each other through participation in a joint activity. Employing multiple avenues of communication such as the various chats and character animations in game, as well as the voice communication tools, websites and forums, MMORPG’s can be one of the most social, communicative pastimes. Finally, the three cases presented here all speak for themselves: gaming is no longer a solo, somewhat anti-social act; it is now a social activity with millions of participants worldwide.（source:networkconference）