Lifestyles of virtual world residents, living in the on-line game, "Lineage"

Abstract

This study attempted to explore different lifestyles of game players who have adopted the virtual world as part of their life in the online game world. An online survey was conducted to the players of one of famous Internet based games called 'Lineage'. 'Lineage' has become the biggest online game in the world accommodating over 6 million users worldwide, where people create his or her new identities and play various roles. 4,786 game players have participated in the survey, and their lifestyles were identified with their values and attitudes in the virtual world. Upon classification of their lifestyles, the behavioral tendencies and characteristic desires were compared by the lifestyles in virtual world. The study showed that game players have developed their own distinctive lifestyles, and the lifestyles were strong criterion on explaining the behavior patterns and their different desire to achieve in the world among them. The lifestyles were classified into three general categories: Single-Oriented Player, Community-Oriented Player, Off-real World Games. Each group displayed distinct differences in their values and game activities, as well as anti-social behavior tendencies. The differences were reflecting not only their personality but also their socio-economic status within the virtual world that is constructed through the game activities. This study hopes to serve as a model to understand how players from different real life backgrounds will behave to the various game features and how they adopt the virtual world for their new social identities.