Abstract
As children and adults filter out of the public places that have been traditional social skill learning environments, a developmental gap may present itself in the form of social inadequacy and dysfunction. While opportunities for social interaction and face-to-face social skill development decrease, new virtual spaces may be providing people with social opportunities for growth. Millions of people are making social connections within the context of MMORPGs. If these games are replacing face-to-face interaction in our society, players may be learning social skills by default. Very little is known about the social skill learning opportunities that may be present in these games. This study investigated MMORPG participants to discover if they experienced and practiced social skills and the social skill learning methodologies during game play. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe social skill learning opportunities of adolescent players in massively multiplayer online role-playing games. Methodology. The study examined players of massively multiplayer online role-playing games. The study gathered data with two research instruments: (a) an online survey regarding social skill experience of 489 adults who played as adolescents in the MMORPG environment, and (b) naturalistic virtual observation of 316 MMORPG participants in three popular games. Findings. The findings of the study demonstrated that social skills were exhibited and practiced by participants and the social skill learning methodologies of role-play, modeling, instruction, and reinforcement were present in the MMORPG environment. Conclusions. The study data support the conclusion that adolescent participants in massively multiplayer online role-playing game environments have opportunities to learn social skills. The online social environment provided by the MMORPG experience provides opportunities for adolescent players to practice and learn social skills. Recommendations. Further research is advised: studies to determine direct applicability of learned skills in game environments to real life will help determine the value of social skill learning in online environments.