Virtual Ethnography: An Analysis of the Social Benefits of Video Game Communities and Networks

Video games are often depicted promoting violence, misogyny and anti-social behaviours (Borchard 2015, Carnagey et al. 2006, Paassen et al. 2017), but social benefits of video games have not been extensively researched or analyzed. Online gaming has been studied from a behavioural science perspective primarily, and has relied on outside observations of gamers (Kowert et al. 2014). Few researchers have attempted an insider approach to discovering social phenomenon within video games (Acevedo et al. 2016, Fusaro & Bonenfant 2010). This paper uses an ethnographic approach to analyze the positive network effects found in video game communities. Data includes long conversations with players, formal and informal interviews, and screenshot and video analysis, used to discover how video gamers interact, build networks and gain social support. There is an interesting tension, in that negative behaviours may be reinforced through online social support in the same way networks provide social benefits. This paper analyzes how video games are used to find like-minded groups and whether they provide helpful or harmful social support. Video gamers are a growing population. Learning how they make meaning of online socialization helps us understand how online community formation can be beneficial to people who struggle with socializing in everyday life, or harmful in connecting people who reinforce negative behaviours.