Formes de lautorégulation de la vie sociale des joueurs intensifs de Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs)

While perceptions of video gaming are moving from being suspicious to being enthralled, the fact remains that the social component of Massively Multiplayer Online Games is now the subject of most recent research. This article presents findings of research undertaken with intensive and formerly intensive gamers of MMOGs to shed light on the break in playing that they experienced. The objective was to better understand how intense gamers handle their social lives despite their time-consuming activity. Results show that players viewed their gaming activity as part of their overall social lives following two ideal-type patterns: leisure and/or a virtual third place. Despite the intensity of their gaming, the players demonstrated that they respected their commitments, owing to a sense of prioritization. Findings of this research drastically reduce the presence of an intrinsic addictive characteristic in video games by placing the pleasure of being together at the heart of the activity.