Exploring the motivations to lead and habituality of leadership on massively multiplayer online role play games (MMORPGs)

Abstract

As the number of users who engage in massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) increases, attention has been drawn to the need to investigate what drives the use of MMOGs as well as what possible impacts MMOGs could have on the online game players. Earlier studies have emphasized the adverse effects of the drivers and consequences of MMOG play, it is only in the last few years that a shift in the research focus from the negative effects of the use of MMOGs to the positive effects (e.g. education, collective interaction and learning, etc.) can be observed. While recently researchers has begun to show interest in researching the virtual worlds, questions still remain about what practical benefits could be obtained from studying these virtual worlds. In the context of MMOGs, there are only a relatively limited number of studies that cover the positive benefits of game play. Recognizing the team-based nature of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Play Games (MMORPGs) - (a type of MMOG in which players assume the role of a character presented by an avatar), in which leadership qualities are frequently required, this thesis proposes a potential stream of research that conduct inquiries into the leadership phenomena within MMORPGs, as an initial step to demonstrate the possible benefits that MMOGs could have in the organizational context. This thesis mainly addresses and focuses on the positive drivers and impacts of MMOG play with respect to the aspect of leadership (i.e. motivational drivers, motivation to lead and leadership habit). However, there is also a highly relevant negative impact, namely addiction, which should not be ignored. Therefore, for the sake of completeness, this thesis also examines the potential negative impacts (e.g. addiction) that could result from MMOG play. Among the different motives proposed by communication researchers for MMOG play, leadership is identified as one significant motivator. However, most of these researchers concentrate on examining the overall framework of MMOG play. Little work has been done on examining the mechanism of how each of these motivators, has an impact on MMOG play, including, in particular, the aspect of leadership. To fill these research gaps, the objectives of this thesis are to: (1) identify the genres of motivation to lead in MMORPGs; (2) identify the drivers of motivation to lead in MMORPGs, e.g. using the characteristics of MMORPGs; (3) identify the antecedents of leadership habit and game addiction in MMORPGs, i.e. drivers of motivation to lead, motivation to lead and perceived leadership styles; and (4) evaluate the overall relationships between the drivers of motivation to lead, motivation to lead, perceived leadership styles, leadership habit and game addiction in MMORPGs. To meet these objectives, three studies are carried out with a series of qualitative and quantitative studies. The first study identifies the genre of leadership motivations by proposing four new constructs, i.e. Self-Intrinsic Motivation to Lead, Self-Extrinsic Motivation to Lead, Peer-Intrinsic Motivation to Lead, and Peer-Extrinsic Motivation to Lead. The first study also seeks for empirical evidence (qualitative and quantitative) to ascertain the relationship between the motivation to lead and the perceived leadership styles in a cross-sectional setting as well as to provide validation of the motivation to lead constructs. The second study examines the relationship between habits and addiction and to validate the measures for both constructs. The third is a longitudinal study that examines the overall framework of leadership habit and game addiction in MMORPGs by evaluating the structural relationships between the drivers of motivation to lead, motivation to lead, perceived leadership styles, leadership habits and game addiction. The results of Study 1 suggest that there are four types of motivation to lead, namely a Self-Intrinsic Motivation to Lead, a Self-Extrinsic Motivation to Lead, a Peer-Intrinsic Motivation to Lead and a Peer-Extrinsic Motivation to Lead. A Peer Motivation to Lead is found to significantly influence the perceived transformational leadership behavior exhibited by gamers. The results of Study 2 suggest that habit and addiction are two very similar, yet distinct constructs, and they are measured separately. Study 3 suggests that the habit of leading is significantly impacted by transformational leadership and Peer-Intrinsic Motivation to Lead. Peer-Intrinsic Motivation to Lead is found to be significantly influenced by affective virtual social identity. The results of this study also reveal that the level of Peer-Extrinsic Motivation to Lead will decrease over time whereas the level of Peer-Intrinsic Motivation to Lead will increase over time. This thesis addresses the important and intricate subject of leadership in a virtual game environment. The potential of the virtual gaming environment as a platform for leadership training has been widely acknowledged. However, a number of perplexing issues still need to be resolved. The extent and effect of leadership training in the online gaming environment, and the transfer of these related abilities to the real-world context are the still unresolved issues most commonly encountered. It is assumed that gaining an understanding of how the habit of leading is developed in MMORPGs could help to explain the continuance of such behaviors on similar platforms in real-life situations. This study contributes to the conceptual and empirical understanding of leadership habit formation in MMORPGs. The implications of this study are significant for both researchers and practitioners.

Date of Award	2 Oct 2013
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	City University of Hong Kong
Supervisor	Chi Wai Ron KWOK (Supervisor)