The Effects of Social Ties and Interdependence on Social Network Game Player Behavior: A Research-in-Progress

A Social Network Game (SNG) is a type of online game which is operated mainly through social networks. Recently, the SNG has enjoyed dramatically growth worldwide. Aiming at understanding game players' motivation and gaming experience, this study proposes a theoretical model that explores the roles of social tie and interdependence on gaming experience and responses. Self-efficacy and group effectiveness are chosen as criteria to measure game-players' responses. A laboratory experiment was designed to manipulate SNG interdependence structure (task interdependence and reward interdependence) and social tie and collect data. Present paper also discusses the potential theoretical and practical implications.