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Players who play to make others cry: the influence of anonymity and immersion

Published: 29 October 2009 Publication History

Abstract

This study employed the deindividuation theory to examine the four-category grief play motivations. The measure of players' immersion and anonymity were used as an approximation of the player's deindividuation effect. Data was compiled and analyzed from a survey conducted on 200 university student players. Overall, the results supported the deindividuation theory. Players who enjoyed anonymous identity online reported to enjoy all four-category motivations of grief playing. However, immersed players only reported to enjoy griefer-influenced and self-driven motivations of grief play. The results are presented and implications are discussed.

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      cover image ACM Other conferences
      ACE '09: Proceedings of the International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology
      October 2009
      456 pages
      ISBN:9781605588643
      DOI:10.1145/1690388
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      Published: 29 October 2009

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      Author Tags

      1. anonymity
      2. deindividuation
      3. games
      4. grief play
      5. immersion

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      • (2024)Assessing the impact of griefing in MMORPGs using self-determination theoryComputers in Human Behavior10.1016/j.chb.2024.108388161:COnline publication date: 18-Nov-2024
      • (2024)Griefing in MMORPGsEncyclopedia of Computer Graphics and Games10.1007/978-3-031-23161-2_200(853-856)Online publication date: 5-Jan-2024
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