Exploring the Intersection of Microtransactions, Loot Boxes, and Gender-Based Cyberbullying in Female Adolescents
Keywords:
Microtransactions, Loot, Boxes, Adolescents, Cyberbullying, Female
Abstract
The growing concerns in the online gaming world has led to many risks that are faced by a certain section of the gamers. This includes the female adolescents who undergo a number of challenges in their gaming journey. It includes being bullied or facing gender based discrimination. In order to investigate the same, the study includes the provision of microtransactions and how it can impact on these challenges among gamers. The 600 primary datasets considered for the statistical analysis are collected using purposive sampling. It is divided equally among the female adolescent gamers in the age group of 13 to 19 years and studying either in private or government schools and colleges. The results from the mean score analysis among these different groups of gamers categorised based on their educational institutes showed interesting results. It is seen that while the overall mean scores are comparatively at a similar level for the variables of —gender biased behaviour and cyberbullying, level of engagement in microtransactions and perception about microtransactions. The private school students exhibit a higher level of engagement in the microtransaction as compared to the other. While all categories of gamers agree to know about the risks and consequences of getting involved in such transactions. It can be estimated from the analysis that these adolescent female online gamers hold a sensible level of understanding on the monetising options of the gaming platforms and can be estimated to use them effectively despite the difference in their types of educational institutes. These differences upon being measured using the t-test tools shows a significant difference in the mean scores highlighting the validity of the responses statistically. The analysis also revealed that all these responses agree to have a disturbance in their gaming experience due to their gender.References
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2. Canale, N., Marino, C., Griffiths, M. D., Scacchi, L., Monaci, M. G., & Vieno, A. (2019). The association between problematic online gaming and perceived stress: The moderating effect of psychological resilience. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 8(1), 174–180. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.8.2019.01
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4. Fox, J., & Tang, W. Y. (2017). Women’s experiences with general and sexual harassment in online video games: Rumination, organizational responsiveness, withdrawal, and coping strategies. New Media & Society, 19(8), 1290–1307. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444816635778
5. González-Bueso, V., Santamaría, J., Oliveras, I., Fernández, D., Montero, E., Baño, M., Jiménez-Murcia, S., del Pino-Gutiérrez, A., & Ribas, J. (2020). Internet Gaming Disorder Clustering Based on Personality Traits in Adolescents, and Its Relation with Comorbid Psychological Symptoms. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(5), 1516. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17051516
6. Hellström, C., Nilsson, K. W., Leppert, J., & Åslund, C. (2015). Effects of adolescent online gaming time and motives on depressive, musculoskeletal, and psychosomatic symptoms. Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences, 120(4), 263–275. https://doi.org/10.3109/03009734.2015.1049724
7. Hilvert-Bruce, Z., & Neill, J. T. (2020). I’m just trolling: The role of normative beliefs in aggressive behaviour in online gaming. Computers in Human Behavior, 102, 303–311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.09.003
8. Huang, J., Zhong, Z., Zhang, H., & Li, L. (2021). Cyberbullying in Social Media and Online Games among Chinese College Students and Its Associated Factors. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(9), 4819. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094819
9. Kaye, L. K., & Pennington, C. R. (2016). “Girls can’t play”: The effects of stereotype threat on females’ gaming performance. Computers in Human Behavior, 59, 202–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.02.020
10. Krejcie, R. V., & Morgan, D. W. (1970). Determining Sample Size for Research Activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement. Small-Sample Techniques. The NEA Research Bulletin, 38.
11. Lemmens, J. S., Valkenburg, P. M., & Peter, J. (2011). Psychosocial causes and consequences of pathological gaming. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(1), 144–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.07.015
12. Lopez-Fernandez, O., Williams, A. J., Griffiths, M. D., & Kuss, D. J. (2019). Female Gaming, Gaming Addiction, and the Role of Women Within Gaming Culture: A Narrative Literature Review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00454
13. McCaffrey, M. (2019). The macro problem of microtransactions: The self-regulatory challenges of video game loot boxes. Business Horizons, 62(4), 483–495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2019.03.001
14. McLean, L., & Griffiths, M. D. (2019). Female Gamers’ Experience of Online Harassment and Social Support in Online Gaming: A Qualitative Study. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 17(4), 970–994. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-018-9962-0
15. Melodia, F., Canale, N., & Griffiths, M. D. (2022). The Role of Avoidance Coping and Escape Motives in Problematic Online Gaming: A Systematic Literature Review. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 20(2), 996–1022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00422-w
16. Müller, K. W., Janikian, M., Dreier, M., Wölfling, K., Beutel, M. E., Tzavara, C., Richardson, C., & Tsitsika, A. (2015). Regular gaming behavior and internet gaming disorder in European adolescents: results from a cross-national representative survey of prevalence, predictors, and psychopathological correlates. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 24(5), 565–574. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-014-0611-2
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18. Nwanosike, C. L., Ujoatuonu, I. V. N., Kanu, G. C., Ike, O. O., & Okeke, T. J. (2022). Social Bullying Among Undergraduates: The Roles of Internet Gaming Disorder, Risk-Taking Behavior, and Internet Addiction. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.830794
19. Pontes, H. M. (2017). Investigating the differential effects of social networking site addiction and Internet gaming disorder on psychological health. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 6(4), 601–610. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.6.2017.075
20. Prasetyaningtyas, S. W., & Prayogo, A. (2021). The Effect of Cyberbullying in Multi-Player Online Gaming Environments: Gamer Perceptions. 2021 International Conference on Informatics, Multimedia, Cyber and Information System (ICIMCIS, 244–249. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICIMCIS53775.2021.9699130
21. Rho, M., Lee, H., Lee, T.-H., Cho, H., Jung, D., Kim, D.-J., & Choi, I. (2017). Risk Factors for Internet Gaming Disorder: Psychological Factors and Internet Gaming Characteristics. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(1), 40. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15010040
22. Saarinen, T. (2017). Toxic behavior in online games.
23. Statista Research Department. (2024). Online Games - Worldwide. Statista.
24. Wang, X., Abdelhamid, M., & Sanders, G. L. (2021). Exploring the effects of psychological ownership, gaming motivations, and primary/secondary control on online game addiction. Decision Support Systems, 144, 113512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2021.113512
25. Xiang, G.-X., Zhang, Y.-H., Gan, X., Qin, K.-N., Zhou, Y.-N., Li, M., & Jin, X. (2022). Cyberbullying and internet gaming disorder in Chinese youth: The role of positive youth development attributes. Frontiers in Public Health, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1017123
26. Yıldırım, N. (2022). The Bullying Game: Sexism Based Toxic Language Analysis on Online Games Chat Logs by Text Mining. Journal of International Women’s Studies, 24(3).
27. Zendle, D., Meyer, R., & Ballou, N. (2020). The changing face of desktop video game monetisation: An exploration of exposure to loot boxes, pay to win, and cosmetic microtransactions in the most-played Steam games of 2010-2019. PLOS ONE, 15(5), e0232780. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232780
28. Zhao, H., Li, X., Zhou, J., Nie, Q., & Zhou, J. (2020). The relationship between bullying victimization and online game addiction among Chinese early adolescents: The potential role of meaning in life and gender differences. Children and Youth Services Review, 116, 105261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105261
Published
2024-08-30
How to Cite
Richa Yadav. (2024). Exploring the Intersection of Microtransactions, Loot Boxes, and Gender-Based Cyberbullying in Female Adolescents. Revista Electronica De Veterinaria, 25(1S), 1669 - 1684. https://doi.org/10.69980/redvet.v25i1S.1546
Section
Articles