The social side of gaming: a study of interaction patterns in a massively multiplayer online game
CSCW '04 Proceedings of the 2004 ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work
How computer gamers experience the game situation: a behavioral study
Computers in Entertainment (CIE) - Theoretical and Practical Computer Applications in Entertainment
Strangers and friends: collaborative play in world of warcraft
CSCW '06 Proceedings of the 2006 20th anniversary conference on Computer supported cooperative work
Coordinating joint activity in avatar-mediated interaction
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Player talk—the functions of communication in multplayer role-playing games
Computers in Entertainment (CIE) - SPECIAL ISSUE: Media Arts (Part II)
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Knowing the Way. Managing Epistemic Topologies in Virtual Game Worlds
Computer Supported Cooperative Work
Supporting collaborative real-time strategic planning in multi-player games
Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games
Physiological Linkage of Dyadic Gaming Experience
Simulation and Gaming
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There is a fairly common assumption about real-time, goal oriented, multiplayer games: communication is primarily appreciated (and used) for more effectively attaining goals. But an interesting question that does not seem to have been explored in the literature is whether the desire for companionship is a significant factor in people's desire for and use of communication channels in real-time, goal-oriented, cooperative games. A qualitative study was conducted in which 40 participants played variations of a real-time, goal-oriented, cooperative game with either human or artificial (AI) team-mates, using different communication modalities. Participants consistently expressed a strong desire for the ability to communicate with a team-mate, arguing that it made gameplay more effective and more enjoyable. The significant finding of this study is that in some cases, the strong desire for (and use of) communication channels in realtime, goal-oriented, cooperative games seems to actually be more of a desire for (and experience of) social companionship.