Winner Winner,Chicken Dinner:How Online Gaming Promotes Social Interactions

The relationship between online games and social interactions is a hot topic discussed by academic circles and pubilc.However,traditional online game researches often emphasize the negative effects of online games on social interactions,such as causing loneliness and social obstacles,which ignore the positive effects of online games on social interactions,especially lack of a detailed and in-depth description of the process of how online games promote social interactions.Therefore,this paper takes Tencent's phenomenon-level mobile game "PUBG(players unknown's battle grounds)" as an example,adopts two kinds of qualitative research methods to explore the specific influence mechanism and influence process of how online games promote users' social interactions.First of all,this paper uses semi-structured interview to collect 25 players'experiences and viewpoints on the relationships between online games and social interactions,and uses these interview data as "external" materials for players to think and recall the impact of games on social interactions.Then,this paper adopts Ethnomethodology and Conversational Analysis(EMCA)and video recording research methods to shoot five videos to record the real social interactions that players naturally happen in the game.EMCA and video materials will provide an "internal"analytical perspective from the player's perspective.The combination of the two qualitative research methods can more fully reflects how online games promote social interactionshows by showing how game players "remembered" and what "actually happened" in gaming process.Through the collation and analysis of research data,this paper finds that based on four specific influence mechanisms:spatial mbilization and fragmentation of time,multi-social models,voice chat,and gender attractiveness,the mobile gaming such as PUBG can promotes the social interaction of gamers.In addiction,This paper uses three concrete examples to explain the social interaction in online games,and thus put forward online games have become an important social interations model which forms a new interactive structure and social culture.Thus,this paper suggests that online game research should change the traditional critical perspective and focus on the positive influencial mechanisms of online games on social interactions.