MMO Players Not Introverts

MMO gamers are totally social. They talk to other people. In real-life, even. And there's even study that proves it! Published in American journal CyberPsychology and Behaviour, the paper was written by researchers at Nottingham Trent University. Almost 1,000 online gamers from around the world were examined in the study, which showed that 75 percent of online games make good friends with people they meet online. Half of them have even meet their buddies in real life, while one-in-ten want to develop some sort of, um, physical relationship. More stats: 30 percent found themselves attracted to another player. 40 percent preferred to discuss sensitive issues with online friends instead of real friends. Nottingham Trent professor Mark Griffiths says:

This study has revealed many aspects of MMORPGs that were not known before... Previous research has suggested that gamers are socially inactive, but MMORPGs are actually extremely social games, with high percentages of gamers making life-long friends and even partners... As well as making good friends online, 81 per cent of gamers play with real-life friends and family, suggesting MMORPGs are by no means an asocial activity, nor are the players socially introverted. The virtual world that these games offer, allow players to express themselves in ways they may not feel comfortable doing in real life because of their appearance, gender, sexuality, age, or other factors. They also offer a place where teamwork, encouragement and fun can all be experienced.

And we needed a study to tell us this? MMO Social Study [Games Industry]