An Investigative Study Using Computer Games as a Method for Creating Friendships

An Investigative Study Using Computer Games as a Method for Creating Friendships

Miniaci Performing Arts Center

This research projects examines, if any, the relationship between establishing friendships and computer games. As more people start to play Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games or MMORPG, the chance to interact with multitudes of other people arises. The question that this research examines is whether computer games, in particular MMORPG, can be used as a basis to establish friendships. It seems only natural that friendships could be formed from playing these types of games considering the fact that on a daily basis people are interacting with one another. Unfortunately, most of the current research involving computer games is about computer games and violence. The goal of this research is to examine a new psychological area of video games. The goal of this presentation is to inspire future psychologists to think about the research that can be done with computer games in a new light. The researcher wants to inspire, if at all possible, other future psychologists to investigate new psychological areas of computer games.