Open AccessStepping out of the Magic Circle: Regulation of Play/Life Boundary in MMO ‐Mediated Romantic Relationship
Author(s) -
Huynh KimPhong,
Lim SiWei,
Skoric Marko M.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of computer‐mediated communication
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.15
H-Index - 119
ISSN - 1083-6101
DOI - 10.1111/jcc4.12011
Subject(s) - romance , conceptualization , typology , magic (telescope) , boundary (topology) , socialization , social psychology , psychology , aesthetics , sociology , computer science , psychoanalysis , art , mathematics , artificial intelligence , mathematical analysis , physics , quantum mechanics , anthropology
Massively multiplayer online role‐playing games ( MMOs ) are spaces of socialization and relationship formation and maintenance. This qualitative study seeks to understand how MMO players delineate the boundary between play and life when it comes to their game‐originated romance. A typology of players was devised to understand players' constructions of boundaries, and players' strategies against perceived stigma when moving their relationship offline were discussed. The findings call for a shift towards a more player‐centric and pluralist conceptualization of the magic circle of play .