Jogos digitais como meio de socialização durante a pandemia de covid-19: um estudo de caso em Final Fantasy XIV

Abstract

The present study is research on social relationships and digital games during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. To understand if digital games were used as a space for forming relationships and how this occurs. The Game Involvement Scale (EENV) and the Social Relationships Scale (ERS) developed by Cruz (2012) were applied to identify a correlation between different dimensions of the game with the formation of affective bonds. A discursive analysis of the game elements was also made, a method developed by Järvinen (2008), to understand and discuss in a deeper way the relationship between the chosen game (Final Fantasy XIV) and the way these elements work as vectors for the construction of social relationships between players. The data from the scales showed that there was a significant correlation between the AFFECTIVE BOND dimension with the TACTICAL (0.388), SHARED (0.603), SPATIAL (0.343), JOINT ACTION (0.708), TRUST (0.721) and AGGRESSION/RECONCILIATION (0.413) - all with p < .001. Through the analysis of the game elements, the game elements that can influence the interaction between players and the formation of social relationships were identified. The study points in the direction that the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV was a place for building social relationships and that it served to alleviate the barriers imposed by social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, coinciding with data collected by studies like this one in same period.