Table 1.
Main characteristics of reviewed studies (N = 18).
| Study ID | References | Sample characteristics | Game/s | Design | Aim and purpose | Well-Being measure | Findings/Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ahlstrom et al. (2012) | N = 349 Heterosexual Couples | WoW, lord of the rings, eve online, final fantasy zi, guild wars, city of heroes and other MMORPGs | Cross-sectional | To identify differences in marital satisfaction for couples who game together and couples where only one partner games | Revised dyadic adjustment scale–marital satisfaction | Compared to 1 gamer couples, couples gaming together = greater marital satisfaction. Where only 1 partner games, can lead to lower marital satisfaction due to immersion in the game–like any leisure activity |
| 2 | Castillo (2019) | N = 147 | World of warcraft | Cross-sectional | To examine the differential effects of social and individualistic motivations to play MMO games on feelings of general social support and tolerance | Internet social capital scales (ISCS)−4 items | Players who want to form relationships are more likely to experience greater bridging social capital |
| 3 | Choi (2019) | N = 228 | Not identified (MMORPG) | Cross-sectional | Does avatar identification affect self-esteem? | Social interaction, Berlin social support scale, avatar self-identification, ISCS and interpersonal support assessment list, Rosenburg self-esteem scale (SES) | Avatar identification increases social capital and self-esteem in real lives. Social interaction in MMORPG increases social capital in real lives through avatar self-identification. Social support perceived in MMORPGs increase self-esteem in real lives through avatar self-identification |
| 4 | Cole et al. (2020) | N = 337 | WoW, final fantasy-XIV, or elder scrolls online | Cross-sectional | Is MMORPG play associated with healthy outcomes due to higher online social support and are adverse outcomes a function of online peer victimization? | Cyber victimization scale, online social support scale, perceived victimization in the workplace scale, the interpersonal support evaluation list, the beck depression inventory, SES, the perceived stress scale | Playing more can lead to greater social support and peer victimization. Increased social support leads to lower depressive and anxiety symptoms & increased self-esteem. Games may be a new source to receive social support |
| 5 | Doh and Whang (2014) | N = 37 | Mabinogi | Q-methodology | To understand the identity development of adult players in an online world | Behavioral statements representing identity development in the gaming world | When players have different motivations to play–they have different meaning outcomes. Games can provide a behavioral setting in which to experience different paths of identity development |
| 6 | Gallup et al. (2016) | N = 3 ASD diagnosis | Not identified (MMORPG) | Qualitative | To explore whether online gaming can help young people with ASD develop communication and relationship skills and improve post-secondary education | Open, in-depth interviews about the meanings of social interactions | The online game provided a place for these participants to have social connections and relationships compared to difficult off-line relationships. 4 themes found including generalizing skills to the real world |
| 7 | Gallup et al. (2017) | N = 5 ASD diagnosis | Not identified (MMORPG) | Qualitative | To identify the potential of using the online gaming environment to support the development of social skills | Semi-structured interviews and in-game observations of social interactions | MMORPGs help connect individuals with ASD to a community, develop communication and relationships skills and identify supports that will improve postsecondary transition and increase persistence in postsecondary education |
| 8 | Kaye et al. (2017) | N = 708 | Not identified (MMO) | Cross-sectional | To examine the role of gamer identity and online social capital as mediators of online gaming engagement and psychosocial outcomes | Group identification scale, ISCS, SES, UCLA Loneliness scale, CPI:SY–subscale of the IPIP Scale | There was a positive relationship between MMO engagement, gamer identity and online social capital. Gamer identity was positive correlated with self-esteem and social competence and negatively correlated with loneliness |
| 9 | Martončik and Lokša (2016) | N = 161 | World of warcraft | Cross-sectional | Do WoW players experience less loneliness and social anxiety in the online world than in the real world? | UCLA loneliness scale, social phobia inventory | People perceived their level of loneliness and anxiety as significantly lower in online world than in the real world. Playing with known others = decreased loneliness in real world |
| 10 | Meng et al. (2015) | N = 17,995 | League of legends | Cross-sectional | Does multiplayer online battle arena game play and the types of connections made, influence social capital? | ISCS | Multi-modal connectedness is associated with bonding and bridging social capital. Frequency of play with existing offline friends was positively correlated with both bridging and bonding social capital. Play frequency with new online friends was positively correlated with bridging social capital |
| 11 | O'Connor et al. (2015) | N = 22 | World of warcraft | Qualitative | Do MMOG players receive social support for emotional and other offline issues, online? | Questions measuring psychological sense of community, social identity, social support | Participants reported experiencing an MMOG-based sense of community and received social support from others within the gaming community |
| 12 | Perry et al. (2018) | N = 2030 | Destiny | Cross-sectional | To examine the associations between time spent playing with other people on bridging and bonding social capital and indirect associations via harmonious and obsessive passion | 10 item version of Vallerand's Passion Scale, ISCS | Harmonious but not obsessive passion would mediate the positive association between playing with others and social capital. Real-life friends were positively associated with bonding social capital, strangers with bridging social capital, and online-only friends with both |
| 13 | Shen and Chen (2015) | N = 18,813 | Chinese chevaliers romance 3 | Cross-sectional | To examine the relationship between social capital, co-playing patterns and health disruptions | Health disruption question, internet social capital scales, general social survey | Bonding social capital reduced risk of health disruption. Playing with friends first met in the game reduced health disruption–while playing with family and friends increased health disruption |
| 14 | Voulgari et al. (2014) |
N = 27 (qual) N = 221 (min) |
WoW, lineage II, ikariam, lord of the rings online, EVE online, aion, tribal wars, league of legends, darkfall, age of conan, guild wars, city of heroes/villains final fantasy XI | Mixed method | To explore the learning outcomes and processes emerging in the environment of MMOGs | Learning outcomes, cognitive outcomes, skill based outcomes, social skills, affective impact | Playing games had positive impacts on gaining social skills, cognitive skills, skill acquisition and had affective impact. Acquisition of cognitive and social skills transferred to real life |
| 15 | Xanthopoulou and Papagiannidis (2012) | 1st Measurement N = 299 2nd Measurement N = 79 Employed | WoW Lineage II Lord of the rings online EVE online Second life | Longitudinal | To examine how participating in massively multiplayer online role-playing games affects users' real-life employment | 4-item mastery subscale of the recovery experience questionnaire, multi-factor leadership questionnaire | In-game active learning and transformational leadership can spill over into work life when there is enhanced game performance |
| 16 | Zhang and Kaufman (2015) | N = 222 over age 55 | World of warcraft | Cross-sectional | To analyse the relationships between older adults' social interactions in MMORPGs and their online social capital | ISCS | Higher levels of bridging and bonding social capital for older adults are dependent on the contexts of game play and enjoyment of relationships |
| 17 | Zhang and Kaufman (2016) | N = 354 Age over 55 | World of warcraft | Cross-sectional | To investigate older adults' social interactions in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) | Social interactions within WoW, Liu and Peng's (2008) study of problematic Internet use | Playing MMORPGs offered older adults' opportunities to sustain off-line relationships with family and real-life friends and to build meaningful and supportive relationships with game friends |
| 18 | Zhang and Kaufman (2017) | N = 222 Age over 55 | World of warcraft | Cross-sectional | To explore the degree to which older adults' social interactions in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are associated with four socio-emotional factors | Short-form UCLA Loneliness scale, center for epidemiological studies depression scale, multidimensional scale of perceived social support, social connectedness scale | Older adults' socio-emotional well-being was associated with the quality of guild play and enjoyment of relationship. The findings suggest that the relationships made with online friends wouldn't easily integrate into their off-line lives |