Playing Along Your Friends: Asynchronity and the Social in Social Network Games

Abstract

This thesis investigates the relation between asynchronity in social network games and how this asynchronity is related to the sociability of and the social interactions between social network games and their players. It is argued that social network game designers have adopted and appropriated the core affordances of social networking sites to create asynchronous multi-player experiences. However, looking at the design of these games is only the start as games are both object and process, or in other words, the affordances of the game's design have to be set in motion by the players. Therefore when looking at the characteristics of asynchronity in social network games we need to see the design as affording asynchronous multi-play, while the players' appropriation of these affordances constructs the sociability. This sociability should not be seen as a material quality of social network games, but as a constantly dynamic interaction between, among others, the player, the game design, other players and social networking sites. In order to research the connection between asynchronity and the social in social network games, this thesis will look in detail at fifteen different social network games. These fifteen games can be divided into two broader genres – mastery type and management type social network games – although these two cross over and games can have both mastery and management features. Asynchronity is embedded within a larger context of time in games and to understand it this thesis will adhere to insights from game studies that time in games is not singular, but can be divided into multiple layers. The models discussed will help foster an understanding of asynchronity in social network games. It will be argued that there can be distinguished two sides to this asynchronity – flexibility and asynchronous multiplay – that differ in focus, but basically are two sides of the same coin. It is argued that persistence is the key to asynchronous game design as it affords that the game is flexible enough to harbor any playing style, while also affording that multiple players are able to interact with each other in and about the game even when they are not simultaneously present. Finally returning to the different time models this thesis will show that asynchronity has a conceptual impact on playing time and both engine and server time. The discussion about asynchronity in social network games is mainly focused upon the game design and how it affords certain gameplay behavior. To complement the picture, this thesis will then move on to discuss sociability and social interaction in social network games as experience by the players. It is argued that within our rapidly changing society it is not surprising that our social interactions and our experiences of these interactions are also changing. Through previous accounts from computer-mediated communication research it is argued that even though we might lack non-verbal cues in our mediated interactions, we are still adopting social norms and adapting our communications to the medium. So although social interaction in social network games might be different from face-to-face communication, it is not necessarily less social. To demonstrate this, the main social interactions that are possible in the game will be discussed and it will be shown by looking at insights from social psychology that even though the means of communication might have changed, social interaction is still following the expected social patterns and social norms. Therefore this thesis concludes that even though these social network games might alter what we understand as a multi-player game, it is not necessarily detrimental to our sociability and social interaction.