scholarly journals Group Dynamics in Online Games: A Literature Review in Terms of Social Identity, Conformity to Norms and Social Behavior

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Group Behavior ◽  
Multiplayer Games ◽  
Negative Behaviors ◽  
Social Opportunities ◽  
Norm Group ◽  
Game Environment ◽  
Intergroup Biases

Online multiplayer games offer players social opportunities such as meeting and communicating with new people or being part of a team. From the point of group dynamics, the players develop dynamics similar to real life in the game environment. Players develop social identity based on the team membership in the game, create norms and conform to the norms in the team. Also, it is observed that players generally exhibit in group favoritism in the game environment; they have adopted norms containing prejudices against out group members; and it is seen that they carry some real life stereotypes into the game environment. Accordingly, the players may exhibit negative behaviors between groups in the game environment. Besides, findings indicate that in some cases, intergroup biases can be reduced and positive outcomes can be obtained in games, in terms of group dynamics. In this article, firstly, some findings of the literature on social identity acquisition, norm development and negative behaviors between groups are given and the features of games that encourage negative norms and behaviors are mentioned. Then, in the light of the findings in the literature, suggestions were made to improve the negative group dynamics in games. In this respect, the article can give readers an idea about group dynamics in online multiplayer games; it is thought that it can shed light to researchers and game producers on how to create more positive game environments and, beyond this, how games can be used to give people positive behavior. Keywords: Online multiplayer game, social identity, norm, group behavior

scholarly journals Intergroup and intragroup dimensions of COVID-19: A social identity perspective on social fragmentation and unity

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic Abrams ◽  
Fanny Lalot ◽  
Michael A. Hogg
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Social Fragmentation ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Face ◽  
Political Management ◽  
Psychological Challenge ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
People’S Perceptions

COVID-19 is a challenge faced by individuals (personal vulnerability and behavior), requiring coordinated policy from national government. However, another critical layer—intergroup relations—frames many decisions about how resources and support should be allocated. Based on theories of self and social identity uncertainty, subjective group dynamics, leadership, and social cohesion, we argue that this intergroup layer has important implications for people’s perceptions of their own and others’ situation, political management of the pandemic, how people are influenced, and how they resolve identity uncertainty. In the face of the pandemic, initial national or global unity is prone to intergroup fractures and competition through which leaders can exploit uncertainties to gain short-term credibility, power, or influence for their own groups, feeding polarization and extremism. Thus, the social and psychological challenge is how to sustain the superordinate objective of surviving and recovering from the pandemic through mutual cross-group effort.

scholarly journals Social Identity, Group Behavior, and Teams

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 691-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Charness ◽  
Yan Chen
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Identity Politics ◽  
Charitable Giving ◽  
Group Behavior ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Identity Group ◽  
Gig Economy ◽  
The World ◽  
Greater Good ◽  
Positive Force

The issue of one's identity has loomed large recently and has unfortunately been used more and more as a wedge to separate subgroups. It is important to understand the ramifications of identity, both to limit the negative consequences (such as so-called identity politics) and to be able to use one's sense of identity as a positive force in the world. What are effective approaches to allow positive identities and pride about one's social identity to be reinforced for the greater good? Recent work suggests that some forms of team competition can induce greater effort, which can be applied to areas such as microlending, charitable giving, and organization of the gig economy. And yet many fascinating questions remain; for example, what is the interaction of salience, social norms, and preferences on the effects of social identity in our society?

The Futurians, Gamergate, and Fandom

2022 ◽  
pp. 234-249
Author(s):  
Julia Crouse Waddell
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Social Identity ◽  
Science Fiction ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Social Identity Theory ◽  
Social Identification ◽  
Social Identities ◽  
Shared Interest ◽  
Fan Clubs ◽  
Formation Of Groups

From the science fiction fan clubs of the 1930s to the modern gamers, devoted fans have found one another and formed groups bonded over their shared interest. As groups formed, social identities began to emerge, distinguishing ingroups and outgroups. Social identity theory helps to explain the formation of groups as well as inevitable competition over resources and power. As technology became more sophisticated, fans were able to communicate with greater ease facilitating ingroup social identification. The inherent properties of video games reinforce both the cooperation among ingroup members as well as the rivalry with outgroups. Understanding the mechanisms within video games as well as the affordances of CMC and social media help to explain the group dynamics that support the Gamergate social identity.

Social support, depressive symptoms, and online gaming network communication

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler Prochnow ◽  
Megan S. Patterson ◽  
Logan Hartnell
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Online Gaming ◽  
Network Ties ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Online Social Support ◽  
Social Opportunities ◽  
Site Use ◽  
To Come

Purpose The increase of videogame use has raised concerns regarding mental health of gamers (e.g. social isolation, depression); however, online gaming may offer the benefit of social connectivity. Many games provide ways for people to meet and interact, providing social opportunities difficult to come by for some young adults. One way to investigate social connection is through social network analysis, which explores the influence of connections on behaviors. The purpose of this paper is to analyze factors related to social connections within an online gaming community, with an emphasis on the influence of social support and depressive symptoms on network ties. Design/methodology/approach All members of an online gaming site were asked to report demographics, site use, depressive symptoms, “in-real-life” (IRL) social support, and online social support. Members were also asked to nominate those in their gaming network with whom they spoke to about important life matters. Moran’s I determined the spatial autocorrelation of depressive symptoms and IRL support within the network. Exponential random graph modeling determined factors significantly associated with tie presence between members. Findings Members (n=37) were significantly more likely to speak to other members about important life matters if they reported more site hours, more depressive symptoms, and less IRL support. Depressive symptoms and IRL support were not significantly spatially autocorrelated within this network. Originality/value Results suggest members may be filling an IRL social support deficit with friends they have met online. Additionally, members who reported more depressive symptoms may be seeking help from informal online connections through online gaming.

scholarly journals GROUP BEHAVIORAL BIASES AFFECT FINANCIAL DECISIONS UNLIKE INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIORAL BIASES

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo Henriques de Brito ◽  
Paula Esteban do Valle Jardim
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Behavioral Finance ◽  
Institutional Investors ◽  
Group Behavior ◽  
Individual Investors ◽  
Cognitive Errors ◽  
Financial Decisions ◽  
Behavioral Biases ◽  
Group Members

This work presents a new approach to behavioral finance with a theoretical contribution by suggesting and discussing with examples a list of group behavioral biases along with established individual behavioral biases, bringing, hence, an additional outlook on how behavioral biases affect financial decisions. While individual behavioral biases are detected in individuals acting alone, group behavioral biases require the scrutiny of group behavior. This awareness may be particularly important to institutional investors, whose decisions basically stem from a committee or a group that will exhibit behavioral biases depending on how the group members interact between themselves when making a decision, which may include negotiation activities and not necessarily be related to personality or hierarchy. The focus on individual investors deciding on personal investments explain the need of work already developed in behavioral finance, which focus on individual behavioral biases, which may be a consequence from either cognitive errors or emotional biases. However, decisions from institutional investors basically stem from a committee or a group that will exhibit behavioral biases depending on how the group members interact between themselves when making a decision. To address the challenge of identifying causes and consequences for unexpected or unsuitable financial decision-making within a group, this work initially retrieves previous work on individual behavioral biases, linking emotional biases and cognitive errors to the “system 1” and “system 2” decision-making framework. Then, a conceptual contribution of this paper, which may be particularly relevant for institutional investors, is to explain with examples - after research and experience - which are the group behavioral biases and their impact upon financial decisions. Individual behavioral biases already acknowledged in other works on behavioral finance are contrasted in this work to the suggested group behavioral biases. Furthermore, this work suggests that there are two broad types of group behavioral biases: group dynamics biases and information-acceptance biases. Each broad type is subdivided into biases related to the structure of the group and biases related to how the group decision-making procedure occurs. Group dynamics biases related to the manner the group is structured are the following: kin bias (belonging bias), harmony bias, and competition bias. On the other hand, group dynamics biases may be sorted according to five different decision-making procedures, namely: herding, fad bias, Plato bias (denial bias), scarcity bias, and home bias.

scholarly journals Towards Social Identity in Socio-Cognitive Agents

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 11390
Author(s):  
Diogo Rato ◽  
Rui Prada
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Autonomous Agents ◽  
Physical World ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Agent Architectures ◽  
Social Agents ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
Group Memberships

Current architectures for social agents are designed around some specific units of social behavior that address particular challenges, such as modeling beliefs and motivations, establishing social relationships, or understanding group memberships. Although their performance might be adequate for controlled environments, deploying these agents in the wild is difficult. Moreover, the increasing demand for autonomous agents capable of living alongside humans calls for the design of more robust social agents that can cope with diverse social situations. We believe that to design such agents, their sociality and cognition should be conceived as one. This includes creating mechanisms for constructing social reality as an interpretation of the physical world with social meanings and selective deployment of cognitive resources adequate to the situation. We identify several design principles that should be considered while designing agent architectures for socio-cognitive systems. Taking these remarks into account, we propose a socio-cognitive agent model based on the concept of cognitive social frames that allow the adaptation of an agent’s cognition based on its interpretation of its surroundings, its social context. Our approach supports an agent’s reasoning about other social actors and its relationship with them. Cognitive social frames can be built around social groups, and form the basis for social group dynamics mechanisms and construct of social identity.

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