Influence of Online Gaming Addiction on the Communication Intensity and Social Skills of Gamers

Abstract

The article examines the phenomenon of excessive online gaming, in particular, the massively multiplayer online role-playing games addiction (MMORPG addiction). The author distinguishes between two notions – dependence and excessive dedication. The article poses questions concerning the impact of excessive online gaming on social skills and intensity of communications between the gamers. Based on the foreign literature analysis the study describes such concepts as game, game addiction, gaming dedication, social capital, social skills, and intensity of communications between gamers. The paper also contains results of empirical study conducted among 479 users of multiplayer online games who took part in online survey. The authors use logic and simple linear regression in the study. The findings show that excessive online gaming has a bad effect on the intensiveness of communications; however, there is also a positive impact on social skills. These results differ from those obtained by foreign colleagues who record exceptionally negative effect of online gaming excess. The authors of the article review the desocializing effect of excessive online gaming and assume that it may be overestimated by other researchers.