No man is a monkey Island: Individual characteristics associated with gamers’ preferences for single or multiplayer games

Abstract

Recent literature suggests that video games and serious games may be used to promote prosocial behavior and social abilities. Among several important open issues, a critical question regards what features of video games may be more suitable to address social skills promotion and morality education, for example single and multiplayer gaming. Since the research states that individual characteristics may drive media preferences/acceptance, here we analyzed individual differences (personality traits and social tendencies) among players who prefer single/multiplayer gaming. The results show that players who prefer multiplayer gaming were more agreeable, more empathic and less aggressive than the ones who prefer single player. Discussion deals with the importance of considering individual characteristics of the target population while designing video games or serious games for health interventions.