常回家sns

P.
Camposetal.
(Eds.
):INTERACT2011,PartIII,LNCS6948,pp.
250–264,2011.
IFIPInternationalFederationforInformationProcessing2011OnlineGamesandFamilyTies:InfluencesofSocialNetworkingGameonFamilyRelationshipJingWen1,2,YongMingKow1,andYunanChen11DepartmentofInformaticsUniversityofCalifornia,IrvineIrvine,CA92697-3440,USA{jwen2,ykow}@uci.
edu,yunanc@ics.
uci.
edu2TheStateKeyLabofSoftwareEngineeringWuhanUniversityWuhan,430072,ChinaAbstract.
HowdoonlinegamesimpactintergenerationalfamilyrelationshipsToanswerthisquestion,weinvestigatedQQFarm,themostpopularonlinegameavailableonapopularChinesesocialnetworkingsite.
Weconductedobservationsandsemi-structuredinterviewswithsixteenpairsofChineseparentsandtheiradultchildren.
Ofthesixteenpairs,sevenlivedlocally;ninepairslivedremotely.
Thefindingsofthisstudysuggestthatonlinegamesprovidecommonconversationaltopicsamonglocalfamilymembersandenrichfamilytime.
Onlinegameswithwell-designedsharedvirtualspacescanalsohelpenhanceremotefamilies'awarenessofeachother'sreal-lifeactivity.
Forfutureintergenerationalgames,werecommendagamedesignthatrequiresminimaleffort,hasa'healthy'theme,andprovidesfeatures,suchasanactivitylogandmessageboard,whichhelpmaintaingamebasedfamilycommunications.
Keywords:SocialNetworkGames,Parents-childrenRelationship,DomesticPlay,GenerationalGap.
1IntroductionOnlinegamesallowhundredsofgeographicallydispersedplayerstoperformsharedactivitiesinthesamevirtualworld[1].
Playerscometoonlinegamingsitesnotonlytoplay,buttosocialize[2].
Formerlyperceivedasmerely"games,"onlinegamehasbecomeanewenvironmentforindividualstomediatesocialrelationships[3][4][5][6].
Whilepreviousstudieshavefocusedonhowgamescanstrengthenorformnewsocialrelationshipsamongplayers,gameplayamongindividualswithexistingsocialrelationships,suchasintergenerationalfamilymembers,haveseldombeenreportedinpreviousliterature[3][4][6][7].
Inthisarticle,weaskwhetheronlinegamescanbebeneficialinreinforcingthesocialrelationshipsbetweenintergenerationalfamilymemberswithsubstantialageandvaluedifferences.
IntergenerationalrelationshipsareofspecialinteresttoChina,acountrywherethetraditionalfamilystructureisrapidlyundergoingtransformation.
ThetraditionalInfluencesofSocialNetworkingGameonFamilyRelationship251Chinesefamilyisaco-residenceamongthreegenerationsoffamilymembers.
However,co-residenceamongintergenerationalfamilyisbecomingincreasinglyrareasyoungadultsmigratetootherregionsseekingbetteremploymentopportunities[8].
Studieshaveshownthatolderparentscontinuetodesiretraditionalfamilyrelations,suchastheassistanceoftheirchildrenwithhousework,beingabletocarefortheirgrandchildren[11],andkeepingmutuallyclosecontactwiththeirworkingchildren[10].
Thisraisesthequestionhowwecancontinuetomaintainthesetraditionalpracticesgiventhemoderncontextwhereintergenerationalrelationshipsarepracticedatadistance,ratherthaninthesamehousehold[11].
GiventhewidespreadadoptionofonlinegamingincontemporaryChinesesociety,weareinterestedinseeingifonlinegamescanserveasanewplatformformediatingintergenerationalfamilyinteractions.
WeexamineQQFarm,apopularmultiplayeronlinegameinChinathatatitsheighthad6.
8millionuserslogonsimultaneously.
QQFarmhasaplayerpoolthatincludesalargenumberofolderparentsandtheiradultchildren[12][13].
Forourstudy,weconductedsemi-structuredinterviewstoexaminehowplayingQQFarmimpactstherelationshipsamongfamilymemberswholivelocallyandthosewholiveremotely.
SixteenpairsofQQFarmplayersparticipatedinthestudy,withaChineseparentandoneadultchildineachpair.
Thesepairsincludeanycombinationoffatherormotherwithasonordaughter.
TheresultsofthestudyhaveshownthatsocialnetworkinggamessuchasQQFarmcanimprovethecommunicationamongfamilymemberslocally,andenhancetheconnectednessbetweenfamilymembersremotely.
Inallowingonlineplayerstoco-constructasharedsocialspacefromwhichfamilymemberscanextrapolateintoawarenessofrealworldactivities,onlinegamescanstrengthenexistingfamilyties.
Attheendofthispaper,wewillintroduceopportunitiesfordesigninggamesthatsupportintergenerationalplay.
2RelatedWorkRecently,thereisanincreasinginterestinstudyingsocialinteractionsinonlinegameplayintheHCIcommunity[4].
Studieshavefoundthatsocialinteractionsinonlinegamescanimprovesocialrelationshipsamongplayers[3][6][7],sinceonlinegamesallowlargenumberofplayerstointeractandaccomplishsharedgoalstogether.
Ducheneaut[6]highlightsthedesigningstrategyforcreatingasenseofsocialpresenceinonlinegames.
Nardi[7]arguesthatsocialinteractions,particularlythosethataccomplishedsharedtasks,areespeciallydesirablewithinagameenvironment.
OnlinegameplayisincreasinglypopularamongtheChinese.
VariousreportsandnewsarticlesoftenindicatethatChineseparentsworryaboutthenegativeinfluenceofvideogamesontheirchildren,inparticular,theamountoftimeconsumedingameplaye.
g.
[14].
Interestingly,theseolderadultsthemselvesoftenengageinandbenefitfromsocialgamingactivities,suchaschess,card,andmahjong[15].
ForChineseparents,socialgames,whenplayedoncomputers,oftenhavenegativeassociations,suchasgameaddictionanddistractionfromschoolwork[14].
Lindtneret.
al.
[16][17]foundthatmanyurbanyoungChineseplayersestablishclosesocialtiesthroughgameplayinInternetcafés[16]andingame-relatedonlinecommunities[17].
Thesestudiesshowthatonlinegaminghasbecomeameaningfulwayforyouthtogettoknowfriendsandhelpeachotherintheirofflinelives.
252J.
Wen,Y.
M.
Kow,andY.
ChenWhilesomedigitalgameshavebeendevelopedforfamilies,thesegameshaverestrictivegamespacesthatonlyallowahandfulofplayerswithinthesamehousehold.
Forinstance,AgeInvadersisanintergenerationalgamethatisdesignedtobridgefamilytiesbyenablingolderadultstoengageinbothin-personandremoteplaywiththeirchildrenandgrandchildren[18].
Othersgames,suchastheMagicBox[19],aredevelopedtoencouragetheexchangeofthought-provokingitemsbetweengrandparentsandgrandchildrenlivingremotely,indicatingthatintergenerationalplaycanbeassociatedwithfamilyhistory,culture,andfun.
Voidaetal.
[20]studiedconsolegamesandfoundmutualconversionbetweentheindividual-playandfamilyactivitiesduringgameplaying,showinghowplayersmightresponddifferentlyaccordingtothesocialrelationshiptheyhavewithotherplayers.
Inadditiontogames,intergenerationalrelationshipscanbepromotedbyothertypesofdigitaldevices[21][22].
DigitalFamilyPortraitisdesignedtotransmiticonicprojectionsofolderadults'dailyactivitiestotheirremotefamilymembers.
DigitalFamilyPortraitallowsfamilymemberstoknowwhethertheolderadultsareactiveandwellonadailybasis[23].
Similarly,FamilyWindow(FW)isdesignedasanalways-onvideomediaspacetoconnectfamilymembersresidingintwohouseholdsthroughvideocameras[24].
UsingFamilyWindow,familymemberscansharetheirdailyactivitiesandincreasetheirfeelingsofconnectednesswitheachother.
DevicessuchasSPARCS[25]andWayve[26]arealsodesignedtoencourageinformationandphotosharingamongfamilymembers.
OnlinegamesarebecomingincreasinglypopularamongtheChinese.
Theirpenetrationintointergenerationalsocialspacethusprovidingandthesocial-culturallandscapecontinuestotransformChinesefamilies,understandingthepossibleimpactofonlinegaminginfamilyrelationshipscouldbevital.
Theliteraturesuggeststhatgamesandotherformofdigitaldevicescanbeusedtoleverageintergenerationalfamilyinteractions;nevertheless,therehasnotyetastudyontheuseofonlinegamebyintergenerationalfamilymembers.
Inwhatfollows,wereportthefindingsofourstudyonQQFarmanddiscusspossibleimplicationsforfuturegamedesign.
3TheGame-QQFarmQQFarmisanonlinegamedevelopedbyTencent,Inc.
in2009,andresidinginTencent'ssocialnetworkingsiteQZone.
SocialNetworkingSites[27]areweb-basedservicesthatallowuserstocommunicateandconstructsocialconnectionswithotherusers.
AndTencentistheproviderofmanypopularInternetservicesincludingtheQQInstantMessenger.
OnMarch31,2010,itwasreportedthattherewere568.
6millionactiveuseraccountsonallQQserviceplatformsincludingQQFarm,QZone,andQQInstantMessenger.
OnQQFarm,playersactasfarmownersandmanagetheirownfarms.
Figure1showswhatQQFarmlookslikeinthegameenvironment.
Inadditiontocommonfarmingactivitiessuchascultivating,irrigating,andharvestingcropsasrealfarmersdo,playerscanalsovisitfarmsownedbytheirSNSfriends.
Onthefarmsownedbytheirfriends,playerscanperformlimitedactions—somehelpful,somemischievous.
Helpfulactionsincludeweedingandirrigating,whereasmischievousactionsincludestealingtheotherplayers'maturecrops.
InfluencesofSocialNetworkingGameonFamilyRelationship253Fig.
1.
Screenshotofthefirstauthor'sQQFarmEachactivityaplayerperformsonherownfarmisrewardedbyexperiencepointsor,withvirtualgoldcoinsthroughthesellingofmaturecrops.
Accumulatedexperiencepointscanraisetheplayer'slevelinthegame.
Thehighertheplayer'sgamelevelis,themoreprivilegesshehastoexpandherfarmingfield.
Similarly,themorecoinstheplayerhas,themore"money"shehastopurchaseexpensivecropsandfields.
Weedingandirrigatingforotherplayersareconsideredhelpfulinthegamingenvironmentsinceithelpstheotherfarmownersobtainadditionalexperiencepointsorcoins.
Onthecontrary,stealingotherplayers'maturecropsisconsideredamischievousactionsincetheownerisnolongerabletogainvirtualgoldcoinsbysellingherstolencrops.
Inadditiontogameplayitself,eachplayerhasaccesstoapersonalmessageboardassociatedwiththeirfarm[Figure2].
Thepersonalmessageboardshowsloginformationaboutone'sfarm,includingbothhelpfulandmischievousactions.
AsshownonFigure2,aplayercanseewhocametovisittheirfarmandwhen,andwhattheydidtoit.
Playerscanalsopersonalizetheirspacethroughnaminganddecoratingtheirownfarms.
Afteritslaunchin2009,QQFarmbecameimmediatelypopularamongChineseplayers.
Ingeneral,peoplewereintriguedbythefactthatQQFarmhadattractedalargepopulationofolderadultplayers,andthefamilyplayofQQFarmwassoonreportedbyvariousnewspapersandmediasourcesasanewChinesesocialphenomenon[12][13].
Forinstance,NetEase163.
com,oneofmajornewsportalsitesinChina,publishedastoryaboutamotherusingQQFarmasaneducationresourcetohelpherchildunderstandbotany[12].
Anotherarticledescribedhowaseventy-yearoldgrandmaplayedQQFarmwithhergranddaughterremotely[13].
Followingthesereportedstories,weconductedaqualitativestudytoexaminetheinfluenceofQQFarmgameplayonfamilyrelationships.
254J.
Wen,Y.
M.
Kow,andY.
ChenFig.
2.
ScreenshotofapersonalmessageboardinQQFarm4MethodologyWeconductedaqualitativestudyfromMarch2010toNovember2010.
Weexaminetheimpactofonlinegamingonintergenerationalfamilyrelationships.
Asdescribedintheliteraturereviewsection,tensionsarisewhenadultchildrenmoveoutofahomewheretheparentsstillholdtraditionalChinesefamilyvalues.
Westudiedonlyparentsandadultchildrenbecauseofthis,excludingchildrenbelowtheageof18,whoweremorelikelytoliveathome.
4.
1ParticipantsSixteenpairsofparent-adultchildrendyadsparticipatedinour.
Participantswererecruitedusingsnowballsamplingmethod.
Thefirsttwoparticipantswererecruitedfromtheuniversitywheretheauthorsareaffiliated,whiletherestoftheparticipantswerereferredbyparticipantsinterviewedpreviously.
ThesnowballsamplingmethodappearstobemostappropriatewaytorecruitfamilymemberswhoplayonlinegamesduetothesocialpropertyofQQFarm.
Ofthesixteenparent-adultchildrendyadswestudied,sevenpairsliveinthesamehouseholds,orinnearbyneighborhoodsintheHubeiandSichuanprovinces.
Werefertothesepairsas"localfamilies"sincetheywereabletomeetinpersonfrequently.
Theotherninepairslivedindifferentcities.
WhilealltheparentsweinterviewedliveinChina,theiradultchildrenlivedremotelyinAmerica,Japan,AustraliaorDenmark.
Table1summarizestheparticipantsofthestudybasedontheirfamilyrelationshipandlocal/remotelivingconditions.
Theageofparentsrangesfrom47to64.
Theageofadultchildrenrangesfrom18to36.
Thesesixteenpairsofparticipantscontainthreeconditions:bothmembersofthedyadareactiveplayers(9pairs);onlyonememberofthedyad(eithertheparentorthechild)isaplayer(4pairs);andbothmembersofthedyadarenon-playersInfluencesofSocialNetworkingGameonFamilyRelationship255Table1.
Theparents-childrenrelationshipsParents-childrenrelationshipsNumberofpairsLocalfamiliesRemotefamiliesFather-Daughter422Mother-Daughter422Father-Son312Mother-Son523Total1679(3pairs).
Thenon-playingparticipantsservedasabaselineforustounderstandthebehaviorsofthe"dual-play"pairs.
Bycomparingintergenerationalcommunicationpatternsbetween"dual-play"pairswiththosehavingoneormorenon-playingparticipants,wefoundthatonlinegamescouldindeedimproveintergenerationalcommunications.
Itisworthmentioningthatamongtheninepairsofdual-playpairs,fourpairswerelocalandtheotherfivewereremotefamilies.
4.
2DataCollectionHumansubjectstudyapprovalwasobtainedfromtheuniversitywheretheresearchersareaffiliatedpriortodatacollection.
Weacquiredverbalconsentfromeveryparticipantandrecordedonlytheirscreennamesusedinthegames.
Nevertheless,allnamesreportedinthispaperarepseudonyms.
Inthestudy,wefirstobservedthegameplaybehaviorsofthesixpairsofdual-playfamiliesatQQFarmfortwoweeks.
Observinggameplayhelpedustounderstandthebasicbehaviorsparticipantsdemonstratedonline.
Wecollectedthegamelogsfromthepersonalmessageboardofeachparticipant.
Theselogsrecordedalltheplayers'interactionsinthegamespace.
Theobservationdatawerecollectedtwiceaday,onceinthemorningandonceatnight.
4132messagesweregatheredduringthetwoweeks.
Excludingmessagesrelayingthegameplayrecordsbetweenthefarmownerandtheirotherfriends,319messageswerefoundrelatingtointeractionsbetweenfamilymembers,accountingfor8%ofthetotalloggedmessages.
Basedonthefamilyplaybehaviorsobservedonline,wedevelopedsemi-structuredinterviewquestions.
Theinterviewstudywasextendedtosingle-playornon-playpairsinordertobetterunderstandtheimpactofgameplayingonfamilyrelationships.
Theinterviewquestionswerecenteredongameplayandfamilyrelationships.
Specifically,weasked:-HowoftendoparticipantsplayQQFarm-Howdoesparticipantplaywiththeirfamilymembers-HowdoesthegameimpacttheirfamilyrelationshipsWhenpossible,weinterviewedsubjectsin-personorbytelephone.
Whenin-personortelephoneinterviewswereimpossible,weconductedinstantmessaginginterviews.
Ofthethirty-twosubjects,fivewereinterviewedinperson,twenty-threewereinterviewedbytelephone,andtheremainingfourwereinterviewedthroughinstant256J.
Wen,Y.
M.
Kow,andY.
Chenmessaging.
Thelengthoftheinterviewsrangedfrom30to60minutes.
DatawerevoicerecordedtranscribedinChinese,andthentranslatedintoEnglish.
4.
3DataAnalysisInterviewtranscriptionswerecodedusinggroundedtheory[28]toidentifyrecurringthemes.
Thecodingprocessstartedwiththeextractionsofthemesthatrelatetofamilyrelationships.
Toensurethedependabilityoftheresults,threeresearchersconductedanindependentcodingonasamplesizerespectively,whichwerefourpairsoftranscriptionschosenrandomlyfromsixteenpairsofparticipants.
Theintergenerationalrelationshipsofthesesfourpairsincludeamotherandson,fatherandson,motheranddaughter,andfatheranddaughter.
Aftertheinitialcoding,wecomparedanddiscussedthefoursetsofthemescodedbyeachindividualresearcher.
Theinitialthemesandrelationshipswereidentifiedgraduallyinamannerofconvergence.
Inthesecondstage,oneresearchercodedtherestofthedataiterativelybasedontheinitialthemes.
Whenallcodesandmemoswerecollected,theresearchersgroupedtheminlinewiththecategoriesorpropertiestheyrepresented.
Basedonthisarrangementofdata,thisstudyexaminestheonlinegameplayingbehaviorsinbothlocalandremotefamilies.
5FindingsInthissection,wefirstdescribegeneralgameplayingbehaviorsdemonstratedthroughobservationaldata,andthenintroducethediverseimpactofgameplayonthelocalandremotefamilies.
5.
1OnlineGamePlayingAsmentionedearlier,weobservedsixpairsofdual-playfamilies'gameactivitiesfortwoweeksandrecorded319messagesbetweenthesixpairsofparticipantsduringthesetwoweeks.
Allfamiliesroutinelyloggedontothegamespaceonadailybasis.
Table2showsthequantitativedatafromloganalysis.
Allparticipantshadmorethan6monthsofgamingexperienceandreachedatleastthe15thlevelaccordingtothegameranksdesignedinQQFarm(0asthelowestand50asthehighestinthecurrentgamedesign).
Theparticipantsloggedon1to6timesperday,with5to30minutesspentonthegamespaceeachtime.
TheloganalysisindicatesthattheparticipantsplayedQQFarminarelativelyflexiblemannerasthegamedoesnotrequireplayerstoplaysimultaneouslyoveralongperiodoftime.
SomeofourparticipantsplayedQQFarmwhileengagingintheirotherdailyactivities.
Figure3showsaparticipantstudyingwhileplayingQQFarm.
Thisparticipanttoldusthathewasafraidhismaturecropsmightbestolenifhedidnotgatherthemintime.
Hetookoccasionalglancesathisfarmwhilestudying.
BecauseQQFarmdoesnotrequireundividedattention,andallowsplayerstoperformothertaskswhileplayingthegame,mostofourparticipantshadconsideredthegameaslessintrusivethanmostothervideogames.
Thus,ourparticipantsweremorereceptivetoQQFarmthanothervideogames.
InfluencesofSocialNetworkingGameonFamilyRelationship257Table2.
Loganalysisofsixpairsofdual-playfamiliesRelationpairsParents-childrenrelationshipAgeGameranks(Levels)Logins(perday)PlayingTime(Minutesperday)Interactionmessages(2weeks)R1Father543863093Daughter2818625R2Father63192558Son2815520R3Mother632231047Son2815520R4Father63341537Daughter3419515R5Mother604163049Son2939415R6Mother652663035Daughter3624510Fig.
3.
PlayingQQFarmbutnotdelayingthestudyingOurstudysuggeststhatChineseparentsandtheiradultchildrenhaddifferentmotivationswhenplayingonlinegames.
Mostparentsstartedplayingbecausetheirchildrenwereplaying,whereastheadultchildrenplayedbecausetheywereinterestedinthegameitself.
Asoneparticipantsaid:Itwasamazingtowatchthegrowthprocessofdifferentplants…Thisgameletmeknowwhatsomeregionalplantspecieslooklikeandhowtheygrow.
Farminginthegamespaceprovidesplayerswithanopportunitytoconnectwithacompletelynewenvironmentandhelpsthemrelaxawayfromtheirdailyroutines.
Thegamespacealsoservesasasocialspaceinwhichfamilycaninteract.
Asa258J.
Wen,Y.
M.
Kow,andY.
Chengame-basedinteraction,QQFarmgreatlystrengthenssocialtiesandfamilyrelationships.
Thedual-playfamiliesfrequentlyinteractedinthegamespace,regardlessofwhethertheyresidedatthesamehouseholdornot.
Familymembersvisitedeachother'sfarmfrom3to24timesaday.
(Note:eachgameloginmaybeassociatedwithmultiplevisits).
Thedual-playdyadsadmittedthattheyliketocheckoneachother'sfarms;theylikedtoknowwhatplantstheirparentsorchildrenwerecultivatingandwhethertheycouldstealorhelpeachotherinthegamespace.
Theotherformsofinteractionsamongfamilymembers,suchasface-to-facetalks,phonecalls,oremailsmayonlyhappenonceortwiceaweekonaverage;butdual-playparentsandchildreninteractedonthegamespacemultipletimesaday.
Noteworthyisthatalthoughwecollecteddataonalltypesoffamilyplaybehaviors,thecomparisonamongdual-play,single-playandnon-playfamiliesisnotthemainfocusofthecurrentpaper;rather,thenon-playgroupservedasabasisfromwhichwecouldunderstanddual-playbehaviors.
5.
2OnlineGameAddingJoytoConversationsamongLocalFamiliesThelocalfamiliesliveinthesamehouseholdorinnearbyneighborhoodsandcanseeorvisiteachotherfrequently.
However,theclosephysicalproximitydidnotalwayscorrespondenttotightfamilyrelationships.
Differencesineducation,culture,andvaluesbetweenthedyadsoftenleadtoconflictandtensionintheirrelationships[9].
Counterintuitively,thistensionmaybeamplifiedamonglocalfamiliesduetothefrequentface-to-faceinteractions.
Inlocalfamilydyads,QQFarmmediatedinteractionsbetweenfamilymemberssuchthattheirrelationshipmayimprove.
Forexample,Suistheprimarycaregiverforherelderlyfatherandlivesinthesamehouseholdwithhim.
Theirinteractionswereoftenintenseduetofrequentdisagreementincare-givingactivities.
TheyfoundawaytoshowconcerntoeachotherthroughQQFarm.
Su:daughter,36yearsold,livinginChongqingcity:Thisgame[QQFarm]openedadoortoustobecomefarmers‐‐therolewecouldn'tbeinthepracticalworld,itwasexcitingthatwecanplantandharvestjustlikearealfarmer.
.
.
Wefoundmorethingstotalkaboutandfoundmorejoyinourconversation.
.
.
whenIfoundthatmyfather'scropsweremature,Iwouldremindhimtogatherthem.
IfIwereathome,Iwouldtellhimin‐person,else,Iwouldgivehimacall.
.
.
InChinese,"joy愉快"meanshappiness欢乐,andlightheartedness轻松.
ThisexampleshowshowonlinegamelikeQQFarmprovidesnewwayswhichpleasantconversationcanhappenamongfamilymembers.
Atthesametime,whendailyconversationbecomesintense,gamingactivitiescanactaspretextsandreasonsformakingphonecallstofamilymembers.
Forlocalfamilies,thebarriersinmaintainingclosefamilytiesarenotduetothelackofface-to-faceinteractions,butratherduetodifferencesinvaluesbetweenthetwogenerations.
Inthissituation,gamespaceallowsbothpartiestoengageinconversationswherethesedisagreementsneednotarise.
InfluencesofSocialNetworkingGameonFamilyRelationship259Evenforlocalfamiliesthathavewell-maintainedfamilyties,QQFarmcanenrichsharedfamilytime.
Wangisaretiredmotherwithtwoadultdaughters.
InWang'sexperience,QQFarmreinforcestheirexistingfamilyties.
Wang,63yearsold,livinginWuhancity:OurfamilymemberswereallplayingQQFarm.
.
.
everytimemydaughtersandtheirfamiliescamevisit,wesharedtipsonhowtoplaythegame.
.
.
mygrandchildwouldsometimesjoinus[athercomputer]toplaytogether.
.
.
thisgamefascinatedeveryoneinourfamily!
InWang'scase,herchildrenandgrandchildplayedwithherandsharedtheexperiencesthatoccurredinthegamespaceinreal-lifeinteractions.
Theuseofasharedcomputercontributestothebuildingoffamilytiessincefamilymembershavereasonstooccupythesameroomandtalk.
HeretheQQFarmgamewasintegratedintofamilytime,andturnedintoanewfamilyactivity.
5.
3OnlineGameServesasanAwarenessSystemforRemoteFamilyMembersUnlikelocalfamilies,remotefamiliesarenotabletoseeeachotheronadailybasis.
Familymembersmayalsoliveindifferenttimezonesmakingithardertomakephonecalls.
Inthiscase,familyinteractionsmayrelyoneitherthecommonleisuretimetheyhaveoronasynchronouscommunicationthathappensinfrequently.
Resonatingwiththisstudy[29],non-playingfamilygroupslivingatlong-distancesfromeachotheralsoreportedthechallengeofstayingconnectedandmaintainingclosefamilytieswitheachother.
Comparedwiththenon-playfamilies,dual-playfamiliesusethesharedgamespacesasanotherwaytointeractwithfamilymembers.
Inotherwords,gameplayisturnedintoafamilyinteractionthattiesfamilymembersclosertogether.
ZhangisamotherwhowasproudthatbothhersonanddaughterwereattendinggraduateschoolsintheUnitedStates.
DuetothetimedifferencesbetweentheUSandChinaAsaresult,Zhangcouldnotmakeasmanyphonecallswithherchildrenasshehadliked.
WhenZhanghadfreetime,hersonanddaughterwerestudyingintheschools;andwhenherchildrenwerefree,Zhangwasworkingathercompany.
Despitethesebarriers,ZhangmanagedtoconnectwithherchildrendailythroughQQFarm.
Zhang:mother,57yearsold,livinginWuhancity:Lastyear,mysonanddaughterwenttotheUS.
Imissedthemverymuch.
.
.
Wheneverwemetinthefarms,Ifeelthattheywerejustnexttome.
.
.
AttimesIwouldbetoobusytomanagemyfarmandmychildrenwouldhelpmeinthegamespace,andthatmakesmehappy.
ParentslikeZhangfindsocialconnectionswiththeirchildrenwhentheirchildrenvisittheirfarms.
Thefarms,assharedvirtualspaces,allowplayerstoperformactivitiesthatgreatlyaffecteachotherbeyondthegamespace.
Zhangperceivesthehelpfulactionsinthegametoberepresentativeofhowmuchherchildrencareforher.
Inthiscase,familytiesarestrengthenedthroughseeminglytrivialgameactivities.
Becauseofitsasynchronousnature,thisgameplayisabletoenrichotherwiseintermittentfamilyinteractions,whentheseotherformsofinteractionsbecomemoredifficult.
260J.
Wen,Y.
M.
Kow,andY.
ChenThegamespacegivesremotefamilymemberstheopportunitytoobserveeachother'sonlineactivities.
Andinterestingly,thisonlineobservationhadallowedmanyparticipantsstaycognizantoftheirfamilymembers'activitiesinreal-life.
Jean,aPh.
D.
studentofcomputersciencetoldushowshewouldknowwhereherfatherwas.
Jean,daughter,28yearsold,livinginCalifornia:Ilovetoguessatwhatmyfatherisdoingbyexamininghisactivitylog.
.
.
forinstance,whenhewentonbusinesstrips,hisfarmwouldbecomeunattendedforawhile…IflaterIfoundhisfarmgetscleanedup,cropsgathered,andnewcropssown,Iknowthathehadcomebackhome.
.
.
ForJean,thegamespaceallowshertoguessfather'sreal-lifedailyactivitiesbasedonhisgameactivities.
Inthissense,theuseofonlinegamingisturnedintoasystemthroughwhichplayersareabletostayawareofeachother'sdailylife[21].
LikeDigitalFamilyPortrait[23],ourstudysuggeststhatthegamespacealsohasthepotentialtodeliverawarenessinformationamongstfamilymembers,althoughinalessdirectmanner.
Inthegamespace,apersoncanidentifyanotherplayer'sdailygameroutinestodiscoveratypicalbehaviorsthatmaybeinfluencedbyaneventthathashappenedinreal-life.
Ourparticipantshadnotfoundsuchobservationstobeinvasiveoftheirprivatelife.
Butrather,theywerealternatewaysforfamilymemberstocareforeachother.
SomestudieshavefoundthatworkingchildrenhavetreatedcommunicationdevicessuchastheDigitalFamilyPortraitasareplacementfortheoccasionalphonecall[23].
However,wehavenotfoundthistobeaproblemforonlinegamessuchasQQFarm.
Thewayofinteractingwithfamilymemberscanalsobeusedpurposelytodelivercertaininformation.
Yong,anelderlymotherlivinginthecountryside,createdapersonalizedmessageonherfarmtoshowhowshemissedherson.
Yong,mother,64yearsold,livinginHubeiprovince:Ibelievedthisfarmcanconveyemotionalfeelings.
.
.
Ichangedthenameofmyfarmto"comehomewheneveryoucan"看常回家看看.
Ihopedmysonwouldcomehomeasoftenashecan.
Iknowthatheisbusy[withschoolwork]soIdonotwanttotellhimtoodirectly[orhemaygetdistracted].
Fig.
4.
ThebulletinboardinYong'sfieldInfluencesofSocialNetworkingGameonFamilyRelationship261AsshowninFigure4,Yong'spersonalizedmessageindicatedthatshehadwishedthathersonwouldvisithermorefrequently.
However,Yonghadalsowantedtoavoidbringingupherfeelingsintelephonecallsforitmaybecomeanemotionalburdenforherdistantson.
Asaresult,sheusedQQFarmasasystemtodeliverthismessagesubtly.
Inthiscase,thegamespacewasusedtodelivermessagesthatmaybetoosensitivetobringupindirectconversation.
Asdescribedinthissection,onlinegamingcanconnectdistantfamilymembers.
Inaddition,thegamespacealsoallowsfamilymemberstostaycognizantofeachother'sreal-lifeactivities.
QQFarmcanalsobeusedtoconveyinformationthatisinappropriateindirectconversation.
6DiscussionInsummary,ourresearchsuggeststhatonlinegamescanbolsterintergenerationalrelationships.
Onlinegamingcansupportintergenerationalrelationshipsintwoprimaryways.
First,itgeneratesnewconversationaltopicsforlocalfamilies.
Second,itcanbeusedtotrackthereal-lifeactivitiesoffamilylivingatadistance.
Inthissection,wediscusshowonlinegamescanreinforceexistingfamilyrelationships.
Onlinegamesbecomecommonconversationaltopicsforbothparentsandadultchildren.
Whengameactivitiesbecomeafamilyconversationtopic,thetensioncausedbygenerationgapsishiddenbeneaththeengagementofgameplay.
Whenfamilymembersliveapart,commonconversationtopicsmaybedifficulttoestablishbetweenintergenerationalfamilymembers,sincetheymayhaveveryfewcommondailyactivitiestoshare.
Discussingonlinegamesoftenignitesfruitfulconversationsthateventuallystrengthenintergenerationalrelationships.
Thesecondfindingisthatonlinegamescanactasanawarenesssystemtokeepfamilymembersinformedabouteachother'sdailyactivities,sincereal-lifedailyroutinesareoftenreflectedinonlineactivitypatterns,e.
g.
,ifJean'sfatherchangesareal-lifeactivity,hisonlineactivityislikelytobeaffectedaswell.
AswesawinYong'sstory,onlineactivitycanalsobemanipulatedtoexpressunspokenneedsorconcernstofamilymembers.
Furthermore,onlinegamesprovideawarenessinformationforfamilymembersthataregeographicallydistributed.
Itiscriticalforfamilymemberstoco-constructasharedvirtualspacethatkeepsloggingactivitiesthatcanbeseenbyeachother.
Asharedvirtualspaceprovidesopportunityforplayerstoleavetracesofactionsthatareassociatedwiththeirreal-lifeactivities.
Onlinetraces,suchaswhenandwhattheotherfamilymemberwasengagedin,canbeextrapolatedintoanawarenesssystemofaplayer'sreal-lifeactivity.
Thefirstfindingsuggeststhattheimportanceofdesigningagamespacethatisacceptablebybothgenerations.
Gameswiththemesthatareperceivedbyolderparentsas"healthy"aremorelikelytobeadoptedasafamilyplayplatform.
QQFarmisconsideredahealthyandeducationalenvironmentsinceparentsbelievetheirchildrencanlearnagricultureandbotanyknowledgethroughgameplay.
Theplayfulactivitiesembeddedinthegamearouseparticipants'interestsinthegameandsustaintheirinterpersonalinteractionsthataremediatedthroughthegameplay.
262J.
Wen,Y.
M.
Kow,andY.
ChenInQQFarm,twofeaturesallowplayerstotracegameactivitiesonline:theactivitylogandthemessageboard.
Theactivitylogautomaticallyrecordsactivitiesassociatedwithacertainfarm;andthemessageboardcanbeusedasaproactivecommunicationtoolforplayerstopassoninformationtootherplayersintentionally.
Ourfindingssuggestthatbothfeaturescanhelpfamilymembersbecomemoreawareofeachother'sactivities.
Forfamilymemberslivingapart,thegamekeepsthemawareofsomeoftheirremotemembers'activities,butalsoaugmentsandenrichesexistingcommunications,suchasincreasingthechancesoftelephoneconversationsaswelltheconservationtopics.
Beyondfamilymembers,closelyconnectedplayersinothersocialrelationshipscanalsoextrapolateeachother'sreal-lifeactivitiesfromtheirvirtualactivitypatterns,suggestingthatonlinegamesmaysimilarlyaugmentotherreal-liferelationshipswhensocialandculturalbarriershinderotherformsofcommunications,suchasinsomecorporateworkgroups.
7ConclusionThepaperhighlightshowonlinegamescansupportintergenerationalrelationships.
Onlinegamescanservetostrengthensocialbondsunderneaththepretenseofonlinegameplay.
Onlinegamescanalsoserveasanawarenesssystemtohelpderiveremotefamilymember'sreal-lifeactivities.
Buttoachievethesebenefits,designersneedtodevelopagamethatappealstoplayersofwidelyvariedagesandbackgrounds.
Someofthedesignconsiderationsthatmakeagametrulyintergenerationalinclude:requiringminimaleffortyetscalabletoothercommittedplayers,containingthemesthatappealtouserofallages,andprovidingfeaturessuchasactivitylogandmessageboardthatcaptureonlineactivitiesandcommunication.
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