Exploring the edge of good taste: playful misconduct in social games

Abstract

This study identifies and explores the common themes of “playful misconduct” in online games. We define playful misconduct as an activity where players deliberately push the boundaries of socially acceptable behaviour for the sake of amusement. This can be through challenging accepted social norms, or by misusing the rules or structure of a game for playful means. We show real examples of this behaviour in popular online games and identify the grey area between harmony and abuse in which this style of play exists