Gamasutra - Feature - "Addiction and the Structural Characteristics of Massively Multiplayer Online Games"


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By Neils L. Clark
[Author's Bio]
Gamasutra
August 22, 2006

Addiction and the Structural Characteristics of Massively Multiplayer Online Games

Introduction
Extract (Pt. 1)
Extract (Pt. 2)
Extract (Pt. 3)
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Addiction and the Structural Characteristics of Massively Multiplayer Online Games

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The Study

As part of Clark's thesis, a pool of 291 MMO players were given a 91-question survey. The following extract explains the tools used, and an accompanying image shows the survey's results.

The current research provides data which suggests that a player’s perceived use of varied structural characteristics within a game is related to differing addiction and engagement levels. In particular, the constructs of negative valence, side activities, and interaction with real life friends within MMO games had distinct relationships with each addiction and engagement levels.

When structural characteristics were controlled for, PvP advancement and guild preference appeared to be significant predictors of addiction or engagement. While the primary aim was to offer preliminary data comparing structural characteristics and addiction, this work also discusses the benefits and limitations of sampling respondents within MMO game worlds.

Table 1 - Game Element Reliability (Cronbach’s E) and Correlation (Pearson’s r) with Addiction and Engagement

Tools

Addiction Composite. Level of addiction was measured by adapting the Asheron’s
Call Addiction (ACAddiction) measure from Charlton & Danforth, 2004. This scale contains
14 items and showed good reliability in the current study with an alpha of .790. In this scale, participants respond to questions on a 5-point Likert-type scale on which 1 = very strongly disagree, and 5 = very strongly agree. A high score on the Addiction Composite represents high addiction, and a considerable inability to control play.

Engagement Composite. Level of engagement was measured by adapting the
Asheron’s Call Engagement (ACEngagement) measure from Charlton & Danforth, 2004.
This scale contains 15 items and shows good reliability in this study with an alpha of .845. In this scale, participants respond to questions on a 5-point Likert-type scale on which 1 = very strongly disagree, and 5 = very strongly agree. A high score on the Addiction Composite represents high addiction, and a considerable inability to control play.

Videogame Structural Characteristics. These characteristics came from a variety of
diverse sources, as covered in the concepts section. These scales vary in size, and generally showed acceptable reliability, with alpha scores ranging from .723 to .906. The exact reliabilities for each measure are provided as part of Table 1. In these scales, which are part of the questionnaire provided in Appendix B, participants respond to questions on 5-point Likert-type scales which are discussed at length in the concepts section.

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