Inside the online gamer's world : an exploratory study.

• Main Author: Loh, Janice Chen Choo.
• Other Authors: School of Humanities and Social Sciences
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Mass media::Media effects
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/43824
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This study builds upon Nick Yee’s work on the motivations and derived experiences of online gamers in of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) environments. A qualitative approach was adopted so that one can gain a deeper insight into the aspects of MMORPGs that make them enjoyable to online gamers, and the experiences that motivate online gamers to play. My findings agree with Yee that the ‘Achievement’, ‘Social’ and ‘Immersion’ factors are important in making MMORPGs enjoyable to online gamers, and motivate them to play. However, it is also found that ‘Skills Acquisition and Transfer’ is a salient factor affecting online gamers’ enjoyment of and motivation for playing MMORPGs. In particular, online gamers reported that they were able to acquire or improve on a number of real-life skills. This opens up possibilities for future research on the range and diversity of skills that can be acquired or improved upon through playing MMORPGs.