Farming Not Alone: Farmville Play and the Implications on Social Capital

Shaojung Sharon Wang^*

Institute of Marketing Communication, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung City.

DOI: 10.4236/sn.2014.35028                

Abstract

This study explored the relationship between Farmville play and social capital. The implications of social game play for players’ psychological wellness were also assessed. Using survey data collected from Farmville players in Taiwan, it was found that the intensity of Farmville play was positively associated with players’ perceived bridging and bonding social capital. The extent to which intensive Farmville play may lead to the psychological benefits of enhanced life satisfaction and reduced loneliness was discussed. In addition, players who tended to add unacquaintances were more likely to perform better than those who added people they knew. However, connecting with existing contacts through the game provides higher sense of bonding social capital. Implications on the concept of weak and strong ties were also discussed.

Keywords

Farmville, Facebook, Social Capital, Life Satisfaction, Loneliness

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Rheingold, H. (2000) The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier. The MIT Press, Boston.
[2]	Griffiths, M.D., Davies, M.N.O. and Chappell, D. (2003) Breaking the Stereotype: The Case of Online Gaming. Cyber Psychology & Behavior, 6, 81-91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/109493103321167992
[3]	Yee, N. (2006) Motivations for Play in Online Games. Cyber Psychology & Behavior, 9, 772-775. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2006.9.772
[4]	Ducheneaut, N., Moore, R. J. and Nickell, E. (2007) Virtual “Third Places”: A Case Study of Sociability in Massively Multiplayer Games. Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 16, 129-166. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10606-007-9041-8
[5]	Nardi, B. and Harris, J. (2006) Strangers and Friends: Collaborative Play in World of Warcraft. In: Proceedings of CSCW 2006, ACM Press, New York, 149-158.
[6]	Williams, D., Kennedy, T.L.M. and Moore, R.J. (2011) Behind the Avatar: The Patterns, Practices, and Functions of Role Playing in MMOs. Games and Culture, 6, 171. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1555412010364983
[7]	Steinkuehler, C.A. and Williams, D. (2006) Where Everybody Knows Your (Screen) Name: Online Games as “Thirdplaces”. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, 11, 885-909. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.00300.x
[8]	Pe?a, J. and Hancock, J.T. (2006) An Analysis of Socioemotional and Task Communication in Online Multiplayer Video Games. Communication Research, 33, 92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0093650205283103
[9]	Lee, Y.H. and Wohn, D.Y. (2012) Are There Cultural Differences in How We Play? Examining Cultural Effects Onplaying Social Network Games. Computers in Human Behavior, 28, 1307-1314. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.02.014
[10]	Hou, J. (2011) Uses and Gratification of Social Games: Blending Social Networking and Gameplay. First Monday, 16. http://dx.doi.org/10.5210/fm.v16i7.3517
[11]	Di Loreto, I. and Gouaich, A. (2010) Social Casual Games Success Is Not So Casual. Proceeding of the 28th ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Atlanta, 10-15 April 2010, 001-011.
[12]	Ellison, N.B., Steinfield, C. and Lampe, C. (2007) The Benefits of Facebook “Friends”: Social Capital and College Students’ Use of Online Social Network Sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12, 1143-1168. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00367.x
[13]	Valenzuela, S., Park, N. and Kee, K.F. (2009) Is There Social Capital in a Social Network Site? Facebook Use and College Students’ Life Satisfaction, Trust and Participation. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14, 875- 901. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2009.01474.x
[14]	Skoric, M.M. and Kwan, G.C.E. (2011) Platforms for Mediated Sociability and Online Social Capital: The Role of Facebook and Massively Multiplayer Online Games. Asian Journal of Communication, 21, 467-484. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01292986.2011.587014
[15]	Coleman, J.S. (1988) Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital. American Journal of Sociology, 94, 95-120. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/228943
[16]	Adler, P.S. and Kwon, S.W. (2002) Social Capital: Prospects for a New Concept. Academy of Management Review, 27, 17-40.
[17]	Lin, N. (1999) Building a Network Theory of Social Capital. Connections, 22, 28-51.
[18]	Wohn, D.Y. (2012) The Role of Habit Strength in Social Network Game Play. Communication Research Reports, 29, 74-79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08824096.2011.639912
[19]	Vergeer, M. and Pelzer, B. (2009) Consequences of Media and Internet Use for Offline and Online Network Capital and Well-Being. A Causal Model Approach. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 15, 189-210. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2009.01499.x
[20]	Putnam, R.D. (2001) Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Simon and Schuster, New York.
[21]	Williams, D. (2006) On and off the Net: Scales for Social Capital in an Online Era. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, 11, 593-628. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.00029.x
[22]	Vitak, J., Ellison, N.B. and Steinfield, C. (2011) The Ties That Bond: Re-Examining the Relationship between Facebook Use and Bonding Social Capital. Proceedings of the 44th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Koloa, 4-7 January 2011, 1-10.
[23]	Burke, M., Marlow, C. and Lento, T. (2010) Social Network Activity and Social Well-Being. Proceeding of the 28th ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Atlanta, 10-15 April 2010, 1909-1912.
[24]	Smyth, J.M. (2007) Beyond Self-Selection in Video Game Play: An Experimental Examination of the Consequences of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game Play. Cyber Psychology & Behavior, 10, 717-721. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2007.9963
[25]	Benkler, Y. (2006) The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom. Yale University Press, New Haven.
[26]	Valkenburg, P.M., Peter, J. and Schouten, A.P. (2006) Friend Networking Sites and Their Relationship to Adolescents’ Well-Being and Social Self-Esteem. Cyber Psychology & Behavior, 9, 584-590. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2006.9.584
[27]	Lemmens, J.S., Valkenburg, P.M. and Peter, J. (2009) Development and Validation of a Game Addiction Scale for Adolescents. Media Psychology, 12, 77-95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15213260802669458
[28]	Kim, H.K. and Davis, K.E. (2009) Toward a Comprehensive Theory of Problematic Internet Use: Evaluating the Role of Self-Esteem, Anxiety, Flow and the Self-Rated Importance of Internet Activities. Computers in Human Behavior, 25, 490-500. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2008.11.001
[29]	Vorderer, P., Klimmt, C. and Ritterfeld, U. (2004) Enjoyment: At the Heart of Media Entertainment. Communication Theory, 14, 388-408.
[30]	Klimmt, C. and Hartmann, T. (2008) Mediated Interpersonal Communication in Multiplayer Video Games: Implications for Entertainment and Relationship Management. In: Konijn, E.A., Utz, S., Tanis, M. and Barnes, S.B., Eds., Mediated Interpersonal Communication, Routledge, New York, 309-330.
[31]	Market Intelligence and Consulting Institute (2010) Game Market. MIC, Taipei. (in Chinese)
[32]	Diener, E.D., Emmons, R.A., Larsen, R.J. and Griffin, S. (1985) The Satisfaction with Life Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71-75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13
[33]	Russell, D.W. (1996) UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3): Reliability, Validity and Factor Structure. Journal of Personality Assessment, 66, 20-40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa6601_2
[34]	Mehroof, M. and Griffiths, M.D. (2010) Online Gaming Addiction: The Role of Sensation Seeking, Self-Control, Neuroticism, Aggression, State Anxiety and Trait Anxiety. Cyber Psychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 13, 313-316. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2009.0229
[35]	Wack, E. and Tantleff-Dunn, S. (2009) Relationships between Electronic Game Play, Obesity and Psychosocial Functioning in Young Men. Cyber Psychology & Behavior, 12, 241-244. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2008.0151