Playing With Friends -- The Importance of Social Play During the COVID-19 Pandemic

TL;DR

This study explores how online games served as social substitutes during COVID-19, highlighting that their effectiveness depends on individual gaming habits and existing social needs.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence on the role of multiplayer games in fulfilling social needs during the pandemic, emphasizing the influence of prior gaming habits.

Findings

Multiplayer gamers increased playtime during COVID-19.

Social play was a key motivator for multiplayer gamers.

Non-players showed little motivation to adopt games for social contact.

Abstract

In early 2020, the virus SARS-CoV-2 evolved into a new pandemic, forcing governments worldwide to establish social distancing measures. Consequently, people had to switch to online media, such as social networks or videotelephony, to keep in touch with friends and family. In this context, online games, combining entertainment with social interactions, also experienced a notable growth. In our work, we focused on the potential of games as a replacement for social contacts in the COVID-19 crisis. Our online survey results indicate that the value of games for social needs depends on individual gaming habits. Participants playing mostly multiplayer games increased their playtime and mentioned social play as a key motivator. Contrarily, non-players were not motivated to add games as communication channels. We deduce that such crises mainly catalyze existing gaming habits.