An analysis of socioemotional and task-oriented communication in online multiplayer videogames

The present study examines the socioemotional and task-oriented content of text messages produced by players of an online multiplayer videogame. From a computer-mediated communication perspective, over five thousand messages produced by 65 players during a 2-week period were examined using Bales? interaction process analysis. The results suggest that players produced significantly more messages expressing socioemotional than task-oriented content. Of the socioemotional content that was produced, the vast majority of it was positive in nature, despite the primary game objective of fighting one another. Players' experience level also played an important role in content production. More experienced players produced significantly higher levels of positive socioemotional content than less experienced players, and they were more likely to use specialized conventions (e.g., emoticons, abbreviations, and scripted emotes). These results provide support for the social information processing theory of interpersonal computer-mediated communication in the context of graphical online multiplayer videogames. The use and modification of interaction process analysis for studying computer-mediated communication in graphical virtual spaces is discussed