building common ground and reciprocity through social network games
Social network games (SNG) are an extremely popular and rapidly growing application of social network sites (SNS). But are SNGs really social? A survey based on a social cognitive theory approach to uses and gratifications revealed that people are motivated to play the game to create common ground, reciprocate, cope, and pass time. People play SNGs to create common ground for future social interaction rather than seeking direct social interaction in the game. Customization was strongly correlated with social motivations; in particular, use of avatar customization was different from use of space customization. Reciprocity was facilitated more by the design of the game than social motives.
common ground reciprocity social network game social network site uses and gratifications customization avatar customization space customization gifting social computing asynchronous virtual goods game motivations online game