Bullying is biggest 'negative' in online gaming experience - study

SINGAPORE - Online bullying and rudeness of other players have become major "negatives" for many online gamers' experience. These have become an issue especially among Chinese and Singaporean gamers, a study done by a global market intelligence group revealed. IDC, a global provider of market intelligence for information and consumer technology markets, announced on Wednesday the result of a regional survey exploring the "likes" and "dislikes" of online gamers in Asia. The survey revealed that Asian online gamers see bullying of weaker players and rudeness of other players as the biggest "negatives" for their online gaming experience. The survey is the third round of a series of surveys that IDC is conducting in 2008 to evaluate the impact of Web 2.0 on Asian enterprises and consumers. On average, more than 64 percent of the respondents named "bullying of new or weaker players" as a major dislike about online gaming and "players who are rude" were mentioned by more than 70%. “The social aspect of the online gaming experience is at the center of what draws Asian gamers online," said Claus Mortensen of the IDC Asia/Pacific Emerging Technologies Research. He added, however, that "while the social experience of interacting with other players and making friends online are a main driver for young gamers, online gaming environments can also be a tough and rough world to enter - and bullying of weaker players by stronger players appears to be a serious problem." The survey showed that while most players find online games rewarding and exciting in their own right, the social aspects of the experience are becoming extremely important. More than 50 percent of the respondents mentioned "meeting other gamers online" as an important element in the online gaming experience - especially among younger gamers. On average, the respondents said they had made 26 friends online. For gamers below age 25, this number was as high as 28 friends. "Online gaming is often mentioned as an opportunity to meet friends online. And friends who meet through online games often become connected through other media as well," the survey said. More than 60 percent of the respondents said they also interacted with these friends either in person or through other online platforms such as social networking sites. IDC conducted the web-based survey among 664 Asian online gamers in August 2008 across six China, Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam. The group will present the details of its research in an upcoming report and to key industry players at the Asia/Pacific Gaming Marketplace Forum on September 17, 2008 in Singapore. The forum, which is sponsored by Leipziger Messe International Asia Pte Ltd and supported by IDA Singapore, will kick off the Games Convention Asia and the Games Convention Asia Conference 2008. - Joe Torres, GMANews.TV