International Encyclopedia of Communication Online

Extract

Immediately following the debut of Nintendo in 1995, researchers questioned what effects games like Super Mario Brothers had on those who played them (→ Computer Games and Child Development ). Early → video games consisted primarily of objects or unidentifiable characters such as Pac-Man . Now, through several technological advancements, game play is more complex and has begun to visually mimic real life. For instance, within games and gaming communities of players, both male and female human forms of all races make up many of the characters. And, with the arrival of online games, multi-user environments are increasing the number of video game players, the age of players, and the economic structure of play, thus, changing the outcomes and direction of video game research. Within the computer game literature, multi-user environments are defined as massive multi-user online games (MMOGs) or massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPGs; → Virtual Communities ). Players of multi-user environments are more likely to play frequently (i.e., at least a few times a week) (Pew Internet & American Life Project 2008). MMOGs and MMORPGs can consist of thousands of players. However, large gaming communities typically break down into manageable groups known as “guilds,” defined as a collection of players who share a common belief or outlook, and clans, defined as “an ... log in or subscribe to read full text