Social gaming, lonely life? The impact of digital game play on adolescents’ social circles Rachel Kowert a,⇑ , Emese Domahidi a , Ruth Festl b , Thorsten Quandt a a University of Münster, Germany b University of Hohenheim, Germany article info Article history: Keywords: Video games Online video games Adolescents Social displacement Social circles abstract In recent years, there have been rising concerns about the impact of online video game play on users’ socialization, particularly among adolescent players. The current study addresses one of these concerns and evaluates the potential impact of social displacement on the size and quality of users’ social circles due to video game play. Using a representative sample of adolescent players, the results provide support for the emergence of social displacement effects. Increased social online video game play, but not social offline video game play, was found to correspond with smaller, and lower quality, offline social circles. However, further research is needed to assess the impact of these declines on everyday socialization, such its potential negative influence on the development and maintenance of social skills. Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Video game play has become a popular leisure activity, particu- larly among adolescents. According to a survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project (Lenhart et al., 2008), 97% of US teens (aged 12–17) play video games on a computer, with a handheld device, or dedicated games console. This popularity seems to cross gender lines, as the same survey reports that 99% of boys and 94% of girls are active video game players. Of the adolescent game play- ers, 27% report playing online, that is, with others linked through an Internet connection. Like traditional video games, online video games are playful activities that one engages in for the primary purpose of entertainment (Oliver & Raney, 2011). However, unlike traditional video games, online games are also designed to encour- age and facilitate interaction among co-players (Chen, 2009; Ducheneaut & Moore, 2005; Jakobsson & Taylor, 2003), creating a distinctive environment characterized by social play. Like other computer mediated social spaces (e.g., chat rooms, social networking websites) online video games are social environ- ments where friendships often develop (Domahidi, Festl, & Quandt, 2014; Kowert, Domahidi, & Quandt, 2014). One’s co-players are often more than just individuals who help achieve in-game instrumental goals. Co-players often become close, trusted friends and valued sources of online advice (Pena & Hancock, 2006; Williams, 2006; Yee, 2006). Cole and Griffiths (2007) found that up to 75% of online game players report making ‘‘good friends’’ within their gaming communities, and, of these, between 40% (Cole & Griffiths, 2007) and 70% (Williams, Ducheneaut, Xiong, Yee, & Nickell, 2006) report regularly discussing ‘‘offline’’ issues online, including concerns that they have not yet discussed with pre-existing social contacts. Engaging in a shared, playful activity helps to facilitate social interactions between players and encour- ages the formation of these friendship ties (Feld, 1991; Feld & Carter, 1998). The presence of a shared activity has been found to be particularly important in facilitating adolescents’ friendship development (Bukowski, Newcomb, & Hartup, 1998; Werner & Parmelee, 1979). While online games have grown to be widely popular, this new form of entertainment is not without dissenters. In fact, since its popularization there has been a concern over the potential nega- tive social impact of online gaming on the user. For example, while the presence of a shared activity can facilitate adolescent friend- ship development, the nature of the activity is integral. As online gaming is largely an unstructured activity (i.e., engaged in sponta- neously, without formal rules or directions from adult leaders, and feature few goals related to offline skill development), increased participation may be detrimental and lead to increased levels of antisocial behavior (Mahoney & Stattin, 2000). The limitations of the social environment of online games have also raised concerns, particularly in relation to the presence and influence of social displacement effects due to increased engagement. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.04.003 0747-5632/Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. ⇑ Corresponding author. Address: The University of Münster, Westfälische Wilhelms, Universität Rektorat-DerKanzler, Abteilung 3.3, Schlossplatz 2, Germany. Tel.: +49 176 84706874. E-mail address: rachel.kowert@uni-muenster.de (R. Kowert). Computers in Human Behavior 36 (2014) 385–390 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Computers in Human Behavior journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/comphumbeh