ABSTRACT
Digital games were traditionally seen as a new form of entertainment media that could involve considerably negative consequences. In contrast to these assumptions, recent studies show that digital gaming—because of its potential for interaction and interactivity—can be understood as a form of mediated communication having significant influence on everyday life and identity formation (e.g. Hand and Moore, 2006). Based on these findings, some authors claim that the mediatized “playgrounds” of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) have the potential to establish social capital, and hence provide an opportunity for social involvement and participation (e.g. Steinkuehler and Williams, 2006; Ducheneaut, Moore, and Nickell, 2007). Following this approach, under specific circumstances, online games can be understood as a form of “social media,” creating new socio-culturally and politically relevant spaces for interaction, which Oldenburg (1991) calls a third place.
