A lot has been said about stereotypical gamers that lead many of us to despise online gaming in its entirety. But like any area of human contact, multiplayer videogames define large areas of public space that naturally cohere into different forms of sociality and behavior. A new study featured in Gamasutra is now trying to hone this understanding down to a science:

This study has shown how the forms of social interaction differ for each player type in the social trivia game Buzz! Quiz World, from the taunting of highly competitive killers, the boasting of achievers, or the collaborative discussion of socializers. The application of this to different game types, from FPSs to RPGs, would reveal interesting distinct traits in the interactions found among each player type in response to more directly competitive play. There is also potential to explore how social interaction changes among larger groups of players.

With a more robust understanding of different gaming cultures and spaces, maybe gamers can then have a better sense of what, exactly, they’re getting themselves into next time someone screams “HEADSHOT!”

–Yannick LeJacq

[via Gamasutra]