Why do people click?! uses and gratifications of Facebook-Zynga games among Egyptian adults

Abstract

Most studies on video games have taken a passive-audience approach and focused on what the games do to video game players. There are few active-audience studies on video games, and there is little published research about video game users in the Middle East. The current research attempts to fill these gaps in the literature. The main purpose of this study, which employs a uses-and-gratifications approach, is to explore how and why Egyptian Adults use Facebook Zynga games. Egypt has its fair share of the 230 million Facebook active game users with some Egyptian adults becoming preoccupied with these games to the extent that it might be affecting their personal lives. This study aims to highlight the reasons that motivate Egyptian players to continue playing Zynga games, which typically require a significant time commitment. This research will employ a survey and structured interviews to answer the question of what motives are behind the usage of Zynga games among Egyptian Adults and how these games influence their lives. Two-hundred and fifty participants answered the survey and 20 players were interviewed. Results showed that Egyptian Adult video game playing patterns do resemble those of foreign communities in key ways -- like the needs to be entertained, experience social interaction, and escape from daily routine and stress. On the other hand, when it comes to something that contradicts traditions and customs, such as forming or establishing online relationships through gaming, and the ability to control gaming, the patterns found here differ significantly from the literature. Egyptian Adults claim that they do not desire to form new relationships from gaming, and that gaming neither negatively affects their personal relationships with friends and family nor their personal finances. Egyptian Females Adults tend to play more than males, and married people play more often than single or engaged people. Egyptian Adults prefer peaceful and environmental friendly games, and they love to continue playing as long as they the growth status of their games increasing, and continue their teamwork with people they know in real life. Egyptian Adults also showed a passion for living a fantasy world they've never experienced and dealing with excellent graphics while gaming.