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Top1. Introduction
The WHOQOL instrument developed by the World Health Organization (1997) positions social relationships as a fundamental construct for measuring how individuals perceive their quality of life. Broadly defined as the connections between people (e.g., family members and friends) who have meaningful interactions, social relationships are associated with self-esteem (Harris & Orth, 2019), life satisfaction (Amati et al., 2018), quality of life (Datta et al., 2015), and human and societal development (Psaltis et al., 2015). Social epidemiology research has also contributed sufficient evidence on the protective effects of social relationships on health and longevity (e.g., Holt-Lunstad, 2018; Umberson & Montez, 2010). Accordingly, the inadequacy of social network ties (e.g., via social isolation or loneliness) qualifies as a risk factor for morbidity and premature mortality. More and better relationships alleviate these adverse effects through social regulation, companionship, and social support. Thus, policymakers are continuously formulating strategies that emphasize the benefits of social relationships and reduce the risks of social isolation (Umberson & Montez, 2010). While there have been proposed interventions (e.g., positive psychology activities; O’Connell et al., 2016), there is still a necessity to explore other mechanisms (e.g., technology-based) to have better alternatives (Holt-Lunstad, 2018).
In a video game context, social relationships are a potential outcome (Domahidi et al., 2014; Grove, 2014). There is a natural manifestation of player-to-player interaction because the game environment serves as a platform for self-expression and community engagement (Cole & Griffiths, 2007; Jansz & Martens, 2005). In addition, the gameplay that fuels this in-game social interaction is observable as a social activity (e.g., psychophysiological game research; Kivikangas et al., 2011). Because shared enjoyment plays a significant role in building and maintaining relationships, the ‘fun’ factor of video games can stimulate feelings of social integration with others (Kaye & Bryce, 2012). These attributes unlock an opportunity to capitalize on video games as a tool for promoting social relationships. However, most studies recruited players with existing relationships, such as family (Chai et al., 2011) and friendship (Verheijen et al., 2019). The existence of these prior connections could have dictated the outcomes because of distinct social gaming patterns when gamers play with friends, family, or strangers (Eklund, 2015). Meanwhile, previous studies that recruited strangers mainly employed online video games in exploring relationship formations. According to Gioia et al. (2022), socially anxious individuals perceive the virtual worlds of online gaming as safer social environments than face-to-face interactions. This distinction could have moderated the designated obligation of video games to establish social ties among players. Finally, prior works that utilized random commercial video games could have reported inaccurate findings because of uncontrolled game design (e.g., cooperative vs. competitive) and purpose (e.g., relaxation vs. socialization). Verheijen et al. (2019) asserted that players’ behavior during gaming is dependent on whether the video game is played cooperatively or competitively.