News: Gamers wired into social networks

News/Social Networks/Web Culture/Gamers
Found on: abc.net.au

Gaming can be a sociable experience, according to a new study that questions the myth of the lone gamer sitting at the computer, disconnected from society.

The US study says games involving multiple players can act like informal gathering places like pubs and coffee shops, so can boost the players' social connections.

Assistant Professor Constance Steinkuehler of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Assistant Professor Dmitri Williams of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign looked at people playing so-called massively multiplayer online games (MMOs).

"By providing spaces for social interaction and relationships beyond the workplace and home, MMOs have the capacity to function as one form of a new 'third space' for informal sociability," the researchers write.

While such sociability won't offer "deep emotional support", they add, it has the benefit of exposing players to a wide range of viewpoints and a more diverse social environment.