Sociability and cyberspace gaming : an exploratory study

Abstract

This study revisits Georg Simmel's concept of sociability and Johan Huizinga's ideas of play in contemporary society, specifically in the area of online gaming. The artificial world of sociability and play show how insights by Simmel and Huizinga are still relevant in the present. Play simulates the aspects of real life, allowing for experimentations without fear of consequence. Yet, real life principles such as self advancement also affect play, changing the way players view fun. Against the contemporary culture of instrumental rationality, the author argues that play and sociability in online gaming have been influenced and the ethics of play compromised.