Chapter 4: Bridging Distance to

Create Intimacy and Connection

By Kevin Meneses, Serli Pouladian, Emily Stenzler and
Mary Sutton
Summary Gift Giving
-
Highlights the meaning of sending and receiving gifts in video games and how
it strengthens the relationship between the players through something called
“non-conversational exchanges”

Example of leaving a note in your child's lunchbox or putting an extra snack,

Taking care of a friends pet, leaving your partner's items in a convenient
place so they aren’t rushing in the morning for work.

Examples of how games do this: Words with Friends (2009),

World of Warcraft (2004), and Animal Crossing: New Leaf (2012).

Summary Camaraderie
- Illustrates how games create a sense of togetherness
similar to what one would feel at summer camp.
(cont.) Challenges are presented that force you to work
together because attempting to progress by yourself is
either extremely difficult or virtually impossible.

Using examples of a massive multiplayer online game

(MMO) called There.com (2011), Journey (2012).
Summary Community Building
- Chapter talks about how game developers understand
the importance of going beyond non-conversational
(cont.) exchanges and instead creating human frameworks
through social collective action.

Having more coherent communication allows for more

complex interactions and creation

Example of Foldit (2008) - Contributes to real

scientific research.
 LEVEL
01

A Note in Your Lunchbox

Humans demonstrate and foster intimacy with others through modest
everyday behaviors like gift-giving and favors, putting notes, or an
extra treat in a child’s lunchbox is part of the social glue that binds
us together.

Daily we also engage in different activities that reveal who we are as a

person and how we feel about each other.

For example, social media such as Facebook and Google are platforms
where we can connect with the world and interact with society.
● Digital games are one of the most well-known and widely used
methods of allowing individuals to connect and engage in social
interactions.

● For example, Words with Friends (WWF) allow users to compete for
points with one another.According to a study, Amy Brickman's
Facebook helped her reconnect with one of her old high school pals
by pairing her up for a game.

● Games like WWF allow players to progress at a slower pace,

allowing them to express themselves via their actions and try new
things.
As they compete to win, players express aspects of
themselves, and competition adds spice to the game
while also providing a framework for interaction.

Designers of digital games with rich fantasy worlds

have more tools to create connections between players.
Gifting and sharing play key social roles in games
where players must earn resources, equipment, and
powers.
The magic circle is a correlated, safe, and bounded
setting where players can come to fantasy and reality,
allowing for more accessible and flexible social
interaction and emotional expression.
It was coined by Dutch historian and cultural theorist
Johan Huizinga in the 1930s.
Game designers make every effort to harness the
emotional power of presents to make players feel more
optimistic about the game and the people they interact
with.
Camp a Click Away
● Draws on experience of summer camps- allows members
to engage in activities together that promote
bonding and self discovery
● Games are similar to summer camps!
● Game environments support emotional and social
growth
Camp a Click Away (cont.)
● Ex: Journey
● Many games try to make players feel big
& powerful- Journey does the opposite
● Requires players to collaborate in a unique way
● Must closely observe the actions of fellow
players
 “type it in the chat”
“chat” goes beyond conversation by functioning as a
tool in gaming rather than obligation.
● Multiplayer/online games
● CHAT —>
Competition OR Coordination —>
communication —> community.
 “teamwork makes the dream work :) ”

Foldit (2008)
online puzzle game from Univ.
of Washington
 “the pros outweigh the cons”
CONS PROS
● Imbalance between worlds ● Increased teamwork skills
● Dissolution of community ● Teams —> more rewards
● Communities can reunite
Discussion Questions
● How can game designers employ different multiplayer communication
styles to create intimacy and connection between players?
● Which is your greatest motivation when you play in a team setting:
gaining expertise, rewards/achievements, or socialization?
● Does anyone have an experience where they were observing a game and
then felt more immersed once they started playing it with other
people?
● Do you think the video game industry was successful by being the
social glue that holds everyone together?