Users and Uses of Multiplayer Games and
Community Activities
Eva Ferrari1, Jane Lessiter1, Jonathan Freeman1
1
i2 media research limited, Goldsmiths University of London, London, UK
1
E-mail: {e.ferrari|j.lessiter|j.freeman}@gold.ac.uk
Abstract: This paper outlines user needs and initial
stakeholder research conducted as part of the Community
Network Game (CNG) project. CNG aims to apply new
network technologies to support community activities,
particularly based on user generated content (UGC)
within (massively) multiplayer online games. Seventeen
interviews were conducted with multiplayer gamers to
identify why players communicate with others, what they
share and how, and what they find frustrating about using
current community related tools. Analysis of the
interviews indicated different drivers and hurdles to
communicating with other gamers. Whilst interviewees
used a wide range of existing community related tools,
they expressed various frustrations about their use of them
including reduced immersion through over-use of UGC,
communication difficulties and privacy issues, poor
usability of tools, and poor quality control of UGC. In the
second phase, an online survey (n=414) aimed to quantify
these frustrations and interest in the functionalities to be
offered by CNG. The results gave support to the
development of a broad range of in-game functions,
available without the need to minimise the game screen.
Moreover, an initial gamer segmentation indicated that
the key CNG functions scheduled for development in the
project such as video sharing, chat services and in-game
web-browsing, were particularly popular with dedicated
online multiplayer gamers. Initial stakeholder research
was broadly consistent with gamers’ feedback and
considered that the in-game live video streaming tool
would be of most interest to game developers.
Keywords: User Generated Content, User needs, Massively
Multiplayer Online Games.
1
INTRODUCTION
Massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) represent a
particular genre of the games market. Players log into and out
of these persistent worlds, usually maintaining a character that
develops abilities and skills and which is typically part of a
long-term social group of other players [1]. MMOGs are
defined by having a large number of players which can, from
across the globe, cooperate, compete or simply co-exist in a
persistent environment. Players can develop relationships
with others whether or not they know them in the real world.
Research has found that MMOGs have wide demographic
appeal [2]. MMOG players spend an average of 10.8 hours a
week on any activity pertaining to the game which does not
involve playing the game itself (on which they spend around
22 hours) [3]. Players engage in activities such as: looking for
game-related information (3.5 hours on average), reading
reviews or comments on forums (3.6 hours), posting videos,
chatting with other players, looking up strategies, managing
guilds and so on - all activities where user generated content
(UGC) has a core role and that are performed, in most cases,
outside the gaming world.
Video games are more and more becoming not just a place
that people access to play, but a network of individuals,
connected by interests and social identities. The sociability is
transforming the industry, and its effects are demonstrated by
the growth of communities and tools available for gamers that
provide a combination of features to collaborate, create and
share content. Some MMOGs have a modifiable interface that
allows players to use tools that overlay the game and to
extract information from interactions within the game. Power
has been given to the user, who can now fashion new contents,
be they text, audio, photos, videos, objects or a combination of
them all.
Some tools aim to improve in-game communication, facilitate
game distribution or guild coordination, improve the capture
creation and distribution of customised UGC.
According to a recent industry report from Strategy Analytics,
the global market for massively multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPGs) is expected to be worth $8
billion in 2014 [4]. Nevertheless, despite being on the research
agenda for many years and their high commercial relevance,
MMOGs have been the subject of surprisingly little research
[5].
1.1
The Community Network Game project
This paper describes research on (massively) multiplayer
online gamers‟ requirements conducted as part of the
Community Network Game (CNG) project. CNG is focused
on applying new network technologies to support community
activities over highly interactive centrally managed MMOGs.
This will be achieved by developing new tools for the
generation, distribution and insertion of user-generated
content (UGC) that are friendly to the MMOG client-server
traffic.
In-game community activities using In-Game Graphics
Insertion Technology (IGIT) and a peer-to-peer (P2P)
architecture for the distribution of live video (that is streamed
without interrupting the MMOG data flow and the need to
upload the video data to a central server) are being developed.
The IGIT is an innovative technology for replacing or
inserting content to games in real time without the need to
change the game‟s code in the client or server. For example,
billboards can be inserted, areas on the screen can be assigned
to display user information, and any type of window (browser,
chat, etc.) can be inserted, floating on or outside the game area.
Corresponding author: Eva Ferrari, i2 media research, Psychology Department, Goldsmiths University of London, SE14 6NW, London,
UK, 0044 (0)20 7919 7338, e.ferrari@gold.ac.uk
The tools proposed for development by the CNG project
include those relating to:
Video (live video streaming from one user to another user
or from one user to many users; record video in-game;
easy click and share; pause/rewind live action; edit and
annotate video recordings either individually or
collaboratively);
Customisation (personalise characters in video editing;
replace/share 3D objects and textures);
Communication (text, voice and video chat; file sharing;
easy in-game access to chat rooms, blogs and forums);
Other functions (in-game web browsing, voting polls).
All tools will be available in-game, reducing the need for
visiting sites or accessing applications outside the game and
disrupting the MMOG experience
1.2
Research aims
Research was conducted to understand:
What motivates gamers to interact with others as part of
their MMOG play?
What do gamers communicate or share with others, and
how?
What frustrations do gamers have with regard to
communicating and sharing with others; what are their
unmet needs?
How interested are gamers in a range of community
related tools planned for development within the CNG
project?
How are the CNG tools perceived from a stakeholder
perspective?
2
METHOD
Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were
deployed to explore the research aims described above.
2.1
Semi-structured interviews
Semi-structured interviews were used as a project scoping tool
to address the research aims. The discussion covered a broad
range of activities in which gamers currently engage (or
would like to) during their online gaming experience.
Interviewees were prompted towards the end of the interview
to ensure that the key benefits that CNG intends to support
were addressed. Interviews were conducted face-to-face and
lasted between 45 and 90 minutes; each interviewee was given
£10 for their time and participation.
2.1.1 Sample
Seventeen gamers were interviewed of which ten were male
and seven were female. The sample was aged between 18 and
41 (mean age = 24 years). The sample reported using a range
of gaming platforms (PC, console and handheld) and
games/social gaming applications covering a range of genres
such as RPGs (Role Playing Games), sports, first person
shooters and casual.
The analysis of the interviews is presented across all user
research sections of the results.
2.2
Online survey
The qualitative research informed the development of an
online survey. The aim was to quantify (a) the use and
popularity of game-related community activities; (b) the
extent of interest in CNG community tools, and; (c) how
gamers prioritise their unmet needs, to support the
development of CNG tools in the project.
The CNG online questionnaire was piloted with six gamers
and improved based on their feedback prior to its launch using
the online survey software SurveyMonkey.
2.2.1 Sample
At the time of data extraction, the working dataset for this
report totalled 414 respondents who completed at least some
of the questionnaire. Sample data presented here and in the
results section are reported as proportions of the valid base per
question (i.e., excluding missing cases, which is variable
across questions).
The sample gave reported ages of between 18 and 99 years
(n=302). When the two cases reporting age 99 were removed,
maximum reported age was 75 years. Including this isolated
respondent, the mean age of the sample was 28.8 years (SD =
11 years; n = 300). The data (with 300 cases) were skewed
towards younger ages: almost half of the sample (47.7%) was
aged 18-24 years; 28% was 25-34 years, 14.6% was 35-44
years; 9% 45-64 years and only 2 cases (0.7%) reported being
aged 65 or older.
The majority (79%) were male and 21% were female (n=314).
Respondents were sampled from over 40 different
nationalities (n=303) from countries across Europe, The
Americas, Australia, Africa and Asia. Around 40% of the
sample was from the UK (40%) and over 10% was from The
Americas.
Over half of the sample (56.7%; n=312) was in employment,
either full-time (38.8%), part-time (13.1%), or casual (4.8%).
Students comprised more than a fifth of the sample (22.8%).
In order to explore whether there were differences between
gamers in their preferences for CNG functionalities, the
sample was segmented based on the item, “How much of your
ONLINE
gaming
time
is
Multiplayer/Massively
Multiplayer)?”, which measured gamers' time spent on
MultiPlayer Online games (referred to as MPO) and
Massively Multiplayer Online games (MMO).
Three groups of MPO/MMO of gamers were created:
- “Non MPO/MMO” (based on those responding “None
of my gaming time”),
- “Medium MPO/MMO” (“Less than half/Half of my
gaming time”),
- “High MPO/MMO” (“More than half/All of my
gaming time”).
The findings from the online survey are presented in the
results sections 3.3 (Frustrations and unmet needs) and 3.4
(Gamer interest in CNG tools) below. All of the quantitative
influenced interviewees‟ inclination to share UGC such as
game play videos.
Tips and cheats were liked and exchanged by some, but not all,
2.3 Stakeholder feedback
interviewees. For some interviewees, the sense of challenge
To obtain an early view from games industry representatives was diminished when a player had to resort to „cheating‟ or to
about CNG, the user research was presented at GameLab 2010, ask for someone‟s help to progress in the game. The journey
followed by a panel discussion with industry experts.
towards the reward (the process) was more important for some
interviewees than the reward itself.
2.3.1 Sample
On the panel were four games industry experts from the The degree to which interviewees reported sharing their
following companies: Redbedlam, CPMStar, Enigma performance and know-how varied. Some enjoyed the status
Software Productions, and GameForge. Feedback from the afforded by the visibility of their achievements in the game.
panel is presented in section 3.5 (Stakeholder views on CNG Others who were more motivated to game by the personal
challenge were less interested in „bragging‟ to players or in
tools).
accessing others‟ clips about their performance.
3 RESULTS
Interviewees were relatively polarised in their preference for
playing either with people they knew in the real world, or with
3.1 Motivation to game socially
online strangers. The size of the group or number of people
Interviewees discussed a number of motivations and hurdles they chose to interact with also varied in our sample.
to sharing and communicating with others whilst playing
Some had a preference to play with familiar others, such as
(massively) multiplayer online games.
friends and family because it complemented their real world
Some gamers either preferred the content in some genres more social interactions, and they reported having better game
than others, or were limited in their choice of game by their rapport with them. Game play with friends of friends was
PC specification. For either reason, genre preference had large viewed as a way of initiating future real-world interactions.
implications for the extent to which, and type of, social The games they played were directly influenced by their peers.
interactions (communication) that gamers had in-game. For
MMORPGs and some other MMOs, social interaction is an Conversely, other interviewees preferred to play with
integral part of the game play. Guilds or clans in MMORPGs strangers. One interviewee admitted that he felt stigmatised as
require members to collaborate and mutual support in game a gamer, and preferred his real world friends to be unaware of
play is commonplace. They share various information his game play. This would restrict this type of gamer‟s
propensity to be willing to share in-game experiences with
including their statistics and strategy.
real world friends out-game. Some interviewees enjoyed the
Game play was often prompted by boredom and time anonymity associated with playing with strangers in that it
availability. The amount of time they had available clearly enabled them to fully exploit their character – to be who they
impacted on how deep they could enter into the game wanted to be without shame or embarrassment. Playing with
experience as social interaction with others can be a more time strangers could also be of benefit strategically in that their
consuming element, particularly for MMORPGs. There is anonymity enhanced their confidence to interact in more
often pressure on Guild members for whom the game play „sneaky‟ or manipulative ways with others during game play.
requires a level of inter-dependency between players, Other more social gamers in our sample enjoyed developing
sometimes to the detriment of participating in everyday real online-only friendships with other gamers. They noted that
life. Some interviewees found this high social interaction trust was built over a period of time through the games they
requirement off-putting if they had less free time.
mutually played. This was particularly true for MMOGs,
Playing with and against other gamers was perceived by some where players spend many hours with other members of their
interviewees as more challenging and fun than playing against clan or Guild pursuing a common aim. Because of this,
the computer as it enabled better skill matching, less gamers were often able to bond with their online friends, often
predictability in game play, improved realism and it was more developing meaningful relationship.
fun to work as a team. This was particularly so for highly Overall social interactions were perceived positively in the
skilled gamers. Conversely, interviewees with less confidence, game environment and contributed at least towards a general
experience or skill in the game, or those less attracted by the sense of in-group inclusion and belonging. Sharing
competitive nature of online social games, reported being information with others was mostly reported by interviewees
slightly put off by the prospect of the shared online game as a positive, satisfying experience that they hoped would be
experience. They believed they were unlikely to „survive‟ for reciprocated at another point in time.
long in the game environment, and were less likely to enter
the shared experience until their competence and skills had 3.2 Communications between players
improved. Some interviewees reported playing against the Interviewees reported communicating and interacting with
computer to improve their skills to a level that would increase others for different reasons and through a range of methods.
their skill before entering the shared world. Player skill Information sharing was direct (ask of/respond to another
player) and indirect (e.g., inferring a player‟s ability or
analyses reported in these sections will refer to this
segmentation.
potential usefulness from their character stats and qualities).
Sharing was reported to occur in-game (whilst playing,
without minimising the game window) and out-game, using
other applications. Player skill relative to others‟ often
influenced the degree to which our interviewees reported
asking or giving information. Text-based chat was a common
method of communication, often enabled in the game itself,
but applications outside of the game were also used such as
Windows Live Messenger and Facebook chat. In contrast
voice was used less often but where it was, applications such
as Skype, Steam voice chat and Ventrilo were used. Cost,
ease of use, practicality, and anonymity were issues for users
of voice chat. None of our interviewees used video chat.
Around half of our sample used or was aware of game tool set
applications such as Xfire, PlayXpert and Steam that offer a
range of community related functions. Guilds and (official and
unofficial) game forums were commonly accessed spaces for
players to exchange information. Gamers who created content
for others used video recordings of their game play (e.g.,
using Fraps) or constructed image (e.g., screen shots) and text
instructional guides which they disseminated in game related
spaces such as forums, or wider community spaces such as
YouTube and Facebook. Low awareness of such tools and
poor ease of use were hurdles to interviewees‟ adoption of
such services. Search engines such as Google were also used
to find game related information.
Interviewees reported sharing different types of information to:
(a) support their game progress; (b) enhance the game
experience; and (c) enhance interpersonal and community
relationships.
3.2.1 Support game progress
Examples of exchanges to support game progress included:
direct in-game supportive information, such as character-tocharacter exchange of help; strategy, particularly for Guilds
and raids; tips, cheats and hints, for instance via a secondary
out-game source; achievement and stats denoting status and
skill which can be useful to others in deciding whether or not
another player may be of help to them.
3.2.2 Enhance the game experience
To „spice up‟ their game experience, interviewees reported
creating and/or accessing a range of customisation tools such
as modifications (mods) or add-ons that are often installed to
enhance or improve interaction with the game.
However, some interviewees disliked these types of
customisation tools particularly those that reduced the
challenge or disrupted the original game.
3.2.3 Enhance interpersonal and community relationships
Finally, interviewees reported communicating and sharing
with others for a number of interpersonal and community
reasons. These included: „bragging‟ (showing off) about
performance and skills; sharing funny clips for entertainment
and humour that bore no practical use to improving one‟s
game play; affect and emotion to enhance the communication
between players in game using emoticons, keycodes and
macros; insults, which were occasionally reported by our
interviewees in their experiences of the somewhat anonymised
game world; their identity as a gamer as well as out-game
interests.
3.3
Frustrations and unmet needs
Whilst communicating and sharing among players was
generally viewed positively, it was also associated with a
number of frustrations. Insights were initially obtained from
interviewees who were asked to indicate the reasons for any
frustration that they experienced when using additional
applications and tools with their MPO/MMO games.
3.3.1 Results from the interviews
Some interviewees noted how attempts to increase the level of
social interaction in games by enabling UGC to be more easily
shared in-game could easily destroy the sense of immersion
which is fundamental to some people‟s game play.
Minimising the game screen to do other things was a
frequently reported frustration amongst our interviewees.
Also noted were issues with „noise‟ in connecting with others
using voice chat, the impact of additional applications on
speed (e.g., of displaying elements in the environment, actionresponses), pop-ups, and advertising in general within game
play.
A range of communication issues were raised and there was
large variation across interviewees in their communication
needs. Challenges were reported in some cases in arranging
team and Guild meetings. Players are located worldwide, in
different time zones, and may be online but not in the game.
For many interviewees, poor ease of use of applications to
enhance and expand on their game experiences (e.g., in-game
recording) explained their non-use of them. Many reported
that if the process was made easier, they would be more likely
to try it. This was particularly evident for recording game
play.
Downloading game-related extras and click-throughs were
treated with caution by some of our sample for fear of
infecting their computer with trojans and viruses.
3.3.2 Results from the survey
To quantify which were the biggest frustrations, the relevance
of these issues (outlined in 3.3.1) to gamers were explored in
the online survey. Respondents were asked, “When you use
additional applications and tools with your online
multiplayer/MMO games (e.g., Instant Messaging (IM),
video/image capture programs, etc.) which, if any, of the
following are frustrations or concerns for you?”.
Results revealed that, among the 152 Medium and High
MPO/MMO players who selected at least one of the response
options to this question, only 14.5% reported that they did not
have any frustrations (see Figure 1).
More than a third, however, indicated that the need to
minimise the game screen to access community tools was
their biggest frustration, followed by “Reduced immersion”
and “Technical instability”, both selected by over a quarter of
the respondents (26%). The quantitative insights also
supported findings in relation to intrusive advertisements.
Pop-ups, especially when out of context, were perceived as
irritating by 24% of respondents.
The survey‟s results also reflected concerns over “Security
against trojan and viruses” and “Usability of applications”,
both indicated as reasons for irritation by 23% of the sample.
Gamers showed slightly less concern for issues such “Privacy”
(18%). Only a minority of respondents indicated that
coordination of Guilds/teams was a reason for frustration,
whilst “Too few chat channels” was the least frequently
endorsed frustration (3%).
The functionalities or services that appealed to the largest
proportion of High MPO/MMO gamers were: Complex game
statistics (80%), Availability of players across games (77%)
and Skill matching (71%); all functions that require some
form of game integration.
Figure 2: Interest in CNG functions by High MPO/MMO gamers
Figure 1: Reasons for frustration on use of additional tools
3.4
Gamer interest in CNG tools
Results from the qualitative research indicated that
interviewees already used a number of tools similar to the
ones planned for development in CNG. However, their access
and use of existing tools was associated with a number of
frustrations and unmet needs, which were supported by the
quantitative findings from the online survey.
To identify how interesting the CNG functionalities were
perceived by gamers, respondents to the online survey were
asked, using a 3-point scale („not at all‟, „somewhat‟, „very‟
interested), to indicate their level of interest in each CNG
function. Functionalities that were mentioned during the
interviews (beyond CNG‟s primary scope) were also included
in the survey.
Before answering the questionnaire, respondents were briefed
on the project‟s purpose (i.e., to develop a suite of functions
that support community activities for gamers) and were
reminded that the technology behind the project was able to
develop functions that are available in-game (e.g., no need to
minimise the screen to use them) and without affecting the
game experience (e.g., no risk of slowing down the
computer/device).
The vast majority of the functions listed were rated as of
interest („somewhat‟ or „very‟) to over 50% of the High
MPO/MMO gamer sample, with a third of functions rated as
of interest to at least 70% of these respondents.
With regard to functions that do not need such integration,
notably more respondents reported interest in Video and
Communication-related functions than in Customisation
functions.
All Video functions were described as of interest to over 50%
of the most dedicated MPO/MMO gamers: Pause/rewind Live
Video Action (71%), Video/Audio Record Game Play (69%)
and Click and Share Video (63%) were the most popular
functions, followed by Live Video Broadcast/Streaming (59%)
and Play Recorded Video (58%). These results are consistent
with the qualitative research which indicated that the most
committed gamers have a need or desire, to enrich their game
experience with videos in an easy/accessible way. However,
Collaborative Creation of videos was a slightly less popular
function, receiving interest from 52% of this High
MPO/MMO sample.
The interviews revealed that communication is central for
gamers, particularly so for multiplayer gamers. In line with
this finding, the online survey results showed that tools such
as IM (71%) and Voice Chat Applications (70%), Blogs and
Forums (63%), and Chat Room Applications (62%) were all
of interest to the vast majority of High MPO/MMO gamers.
The only Communication function for which gamers had
reservations was Video Chat, with only 33% showing interest
in it. This was not surprising and was consistent with findings
from the qualitative data, which showed that Video Chat could
ruin the anonymity of the game which is particularly
important when playing with strangers.
Despite that Customisation functions were not perceived as a
priority, over half the sample showed interest in functions
such as Edit/Annotate recorded Video (58%); Create/Insert
3D Object/Textures (54%); and Personalise Characters in
Video Editing (52%).
Fewer respondents were interested in tools that allowed
gamers to Exchange 3D Object/Textures or to create them
collaboratively, (47% and 48% respectively).
Other functions proposed by CNG such as In-game Web
Browsing (71%) and Creating Voting Polls (63%) were found
to be popular amongst the most dedicated gamers.
3.5
Stakeholder views on CNG tools
Stakeholders acknowledged the importance of community
building tools in games citing an influx of new gamers drawn
to the opportunities to socialise. They also considered there to
be gaps in the existing market for specific community,
particularly communication, related tools. Information sharing
has an integral role in the online experience as the social aspect
of games is becoming ever more important.
One of the main issues identified by stakeholders concerned the
impact of CNG tools on the illusion of the game; gamers enjoy
the immersion into the fantasy environment, thus efforts to
maintain this illusion are critical. The panel asserted that tools
should be designed such that they do not harm the gaming
experience and need to be carefully tested for stability and
reliability across different games. Stakeholders noted that
acceptance by gamers would also depend on the level of
interaction that the tools provide. In contrast to end users of
other services, stakeholders pointed out that gamers often
expect to influence how the game service is run or how content
is delivered to them. According to the experts, tools that
support feedback from users to game developers are needed.
The industry experts noted that when players choose their tools,
they are driven by the freedom and control over what they see
on the screen. Different segments of the gamer market are
likely to want different features. Therefore it was considered
essential for CNG to offer a versatile service that users can
easily adapt to their specific preferences, needs or skills.
Personalisation was identified as one of the main key elements
for the success of CNG; both in terms of the choice of tools
available and the design of the interface that needs to suit the
online game world.
The expert panel considered that the in-game video streaming
tool would be of most interest to game developers. However to
maximise adoption by users they indicated a need to establish
whether or not the European games market is ready for in-game
video streaming prior to its introduction.
4
CONCLUSIONS
CNG is conducting research to inform the development of ingame community activities that enable gamers to create, share,
and insert UGC. The UGC considered by the CNG project
includes 3D objects, graphics, and video. The objective of the
research outlined in this paper was to understand gamers‟
current needs and unmet needs for in-game communication
and community related tools; to quantify gamer interest in the
range of tools proposed in the CNG project; and to identify
initial views of the project by stakeholders.
The interviews with gamers identified both a wide range of
motivations to engage in community related game activities
and various difficulties associated with existing tools. These
qualitative findings were supported by the results of the
stakeholder research and the online survey which found that
amongst High MPO/MMO players in particular there is
interest in and a need for improved tools to support
community activities around their game use, especially in
relation to video and communication. Furthermore, whilst
these needs are currently met through the use of standalone
applications running in the background to the MMOG (e.g.,
Google talk for text chat; Skype or Ventrilo for VOIP (Voice
over Internet Protocol), Fraps for video capture, the biggest
frustrations reported by MMOG players were delays and
instability caused by the need to minimise the game screen or
to switch to an external application for community tools. This
is encouraging for the CNG approach which intends to offer
such tools without the need to minimise the game screen.
Furthermore, as identified in the interviews and confirmed by
the survey and stakeholder results, efforts to maintain the
game illusion are critical to avoid harming the game
experience. Finally, in relation to future game development
and project partner interaction with game developers, a
number of functions that were popular with gamers in this
research, such as skill matching, complex statistics and
availability of players across games, could be more elegantly
implemented with access to the game.
Acknowledgment
The CNG project is funded under the ICT (Information and
Communication Technologies) priority of the European
Union‟s FP7 (Seventh Framework Programme) (ICT-248175).
The project is a STREP for 30 months.
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