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International Conference on Computer Supported Education

CSEDU 2015: Computer Supported Education pp 504–522Cite as

Can Playing Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) Improve Older Adults’ Socio-Psychological Wellbeing?

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Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 583))

Abstract

This study examined whether playing Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) improves older adults’ socio-psychological wellbeing. We analyzed the relationships of older adults’ social interactions in MMORPGs to three socio-psychological factors: loneliness, depression, and social support. Social interactions in MMORPGs were conceptualized into four components: communication methods, network level, enjoyment of relationships, and quality of guild play. A total of 222 respondents aged 55 years or more who played World of Warcraft (WoW) were recruited through an online survey. It was found that the biggest effect sizes of loneliness, depression, and social support were associated with enjoyment of relationships and quality of guild play. In addition, amount of gameplay had a little impact on older adults’ socio-psychological wellbeing. Therefore, the socio-psychological impacts of playing MMORPGs on older adults are much dependent on the enjoyment of relationships and quality of guild play.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for the financial support to conduct this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada

    Fan Zhang & David Kaufman

Authors
  1. Fan Zhang
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  2. David Kaufman
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Correspondence to Fan Zhang .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA

    Susan Zvacek

  2. do Porto, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade, Porto, Portugal

    Maria Teresa Restivo

  3. School of Engineering, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, United Kingdom

    James Uhomoibhi

  4. Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland

    Markus Helfert

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Zhang, F., Kaufman, D. (2016). Can Playing Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) Improve Older Adults’ Socio-Psychological Wellbeing?. In: Zvacek, S., Restivo, M., Uhomoibhi, J., Helfert, M. (eds) Computer Supported Education. CSEDU 2015. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 583. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29585-5_29

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29585-5_29

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-29585-5

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