Virtual Communities of Gamers: Emotional and Social Behavior in Poupée Girl

Abstract

The phenomenon of gaming goes beyond the mere individual entertainment, creating networks between players who favor their interactions, to share successful experiences, compete, exchange tips, to solve problems of various kinds ... These virtual communities contribute to the socialization of the players, activating communication channels, and providing a very fast flow of information between them. They become effective tools to enhance and share knowledge based on common goals from a playful context, as a result of collective intelligence. Sometimes they form strong empathic and affective relationships supported by mutual recognition, leading to the emergence of leaders capable of promoting mimetic behavior among users. This study examines the community of gamers "Poupée Girl", a Japanese online game centered on dressing a virtual doll and get all accessories and clothing possible, where as an alter ego, the players caring for their poupée, dressing her, combing her hair, like themselves. The interest of this community lies in the interesting relationships between its members, where there are situations of support and mutual learning, solidarity and empathy.