Assessing the impact of griefing in MMORPGs using self-determination theory

Abstract

Toxic behavior has been impacting players in online multiplayer environments since their inception. Griefing is a type of toxic behavior that focuses on player-to-player in-game disruption and is quite prevalent. However, research into the extent of the impact is still scarce. The present study investigated the impact on the psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, as defined by the self-determination theory, for players that perform griefing (the griefers) and those subjected to griefing (the griefed). A sample of 656 respondents from massively multiplayer online role-playing game communities participated in the study. The results discovered that for the majority of players there is no change to their wellbeing, but that when there was a change, the griefed players in general were impacted more negatively, and the perpetrators were impacted more positively. Significant associations also revealed that the magnitude of impacts increased as the player was subjected to or performed griefing more frequently.