Identitetsskapande och socialisering i onlinespel
Formandet av en digital identitet
IdentityIdentity creationSocializingOnlineOnline gamesGamesMMOMMOGMMORPGMMOFPSGroup dynamicsIdentitetIdentitetsskapandeSocialiseringOnlineOnlinespelMMOMMOGMMORPGMMOFPSGruppdynamik
As social interactions migrate to the ubiquitous Internet we are facing a change in theway we relate to each other, which presents interesting new opportunities foranonymity to create identities. An aspect of this radically evolving technology thatexhibits strong possibilities for altering or producing identities is the rapidly growingonline game genre MMOG (Massive Multiplayer Online Game) which isentertainment that millions of people all over the globe engage in daily. Thisrelatively new platform for socialising has become of cultural and social significance,which is why it calls for examination and research. Thus, the main research questionsasked in this thesis are as following: How does players of MMOGs utilise the nighcomplete anonymity to present or modify their identities online? In which ways areMMOGs used as a platform for socialising and development of social groupdynamics? After observing a large group of players in a popular MMOG, as well asconducting several interviews with key identities within the group, I discovered three fundamental parts of identity creation, and created a model for use and applicationin different social situations and constellations.