Massively Multiplayer Online Games As a Sandbox for Leadership: the Relationship Between in and out of Game Leadership Behaviors
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Pepperdine University Pepperdine Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations 2014 Massively multiplayer online games as a sandbox for leadership: the relationship between in and out of game leadership behaviors Sean Henry Veloria Mendoza Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd Recommended Citation Mendoza, Sean Henry Veloria, "Massively multiplayer online games as a sandbox for leadership: the relationship between in and out of game leadership behaviors" (2014). Theses and Dissertations. 431. https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/431 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER ONLINE GAMES AS A SANDBOX FOR LEADERSHIP: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IN AND OUT OF GAME LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORS A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Learning Technology By Sean Henry Veloria Mendoza May 2014 Linda Polin, Ph.D. – Dissertation Chairperson This dissertation, written by Sean Henry Veloria Mendoza under the guidance of a Faculty Committee and approved by its members, has been submitted to and accepted by the Graduate Faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION Doctoral Committee: Linda Polin, Ph.D., Chairperson Mark Chen, Ph.D. Paul Sparks, Ph.D. © Copyright by Sean Henry Veloria Mendoza (2014) All Rights Reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES . vi LIST OF FIGURES . .vii DEDICATION . x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . xi VITA . xii ABSTRACT . xiii Chapter 1. Introduction . 1 Leadership Within a Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) Game . .3 Problem Statement: MMOs as a Sandbox for Leadership . 4 Significance of the Study . 5 Limitations of the Study . 6 Chapter 2. An Online Sandbox for Leadership . 9 Massively Multiplayer Online Games . 14 Commitment, Identity Salience and Behavior . 17 Shaping Identity Through Play . 18 Leadership . 28 Purpose . 38 Correlation Between In-And-Out-Of-Game Leadership . 39 Summary . 41 Chapter 3. Research Design . 44 Research Questions . 44 A Rubric for Potential MMOs . .45 Selection of Key Informants . 46 Methods . .50 Data Collection Procedures . 58 Making Sense of the Data Results . 64 Summary . 84 Chapter 4. Results . 87 Six Cases of Leadership . 87 Informant Profile: The Restaurateur/Part Time Faculty . 88 iv Page Informant Profile: The Faculty Department Chair . 115 Informant Profile: Information Technology Professional . 144 Informant Profile: Director of Computer Programming . 165 Informant Profile: Education Technology Professional . 188 Informant Profile: Senior Manager and Content Strategist . 210 Revisiting the Research Questions . 232 Summary of Findings . 243 Chapter 5. The Big Picture . 247 Theories and Concepts . 247 Why Games and Leadership Matter . 254 Discussion . 259 Conclusion . 265 REFERENCES . 268 APPENDIX A: Certificate of Completion . 277 APPENDIX B: Graduate and Professional Schools IRB . 278 APPENDIX C: Informed Consent Letter . 281 APPENDIX D: Online Survey Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire . 283 APPENDIX E: Leadership Identity Protocol Instrument – Avatar Demography Interview . 285 APPENDIX F: Leadership Identity Protocol Instrument – Individual Demography Interview . 288 APPENDIX G: Introduction Letter . .292 APPENDIX H: GSP IRB Exemption Notice . 293 v LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Differences Between Social Identity Theory and Identity Theory . 20 Table 2. Opportunities for Transformational Leadership . 35 Table 3. Leadership Sandbox Rubric for MMOs . 46 Table 4. Interviews: Opportunities for Transformational Leadership Sub Characteristics . 69 Table 5. Guild Website/Forum: Opportunities for Transformational Leadership Sub Characteristics . 74 Table 6. Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Data: Informant 1F . 112 Table 7. Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Data: Informant 1M . 141 Table 8. Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Data: Informant 2F . 162 Table 9. Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Data: Informant 2M . 185 Table 10. Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Data: Informant 3M . 207 Table 11. Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Data: Informant 4M . 229 vi LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1. Projective identity is one’s real world (out-of-game) person AS virtual (in-game) character . 22 Figure 2. Social identity deindividuation effect (SIDE) model . 25 Figure 3. Leadership rubric of styles and relationship to followers . 30 Figure 4. 1FGFW guild header depicting leadership avatars . 105 Figure 5. 1FGFW guild rules the “10 Easy Ones” . 106 Figure 6. 1FGFW good guild information, personal invitations vs. recruitment . 106 Figure 7. 1FGFW guild expectations on becoming a leader . .107 Figure 8. 1FGFW guild forum displaying participation and topics . 107 Figure 9. 1FGFW raid mounts as an incentive for participation . .108 Figure 10. 1FGFW in-game tools and resources for continuous improvement . 109 Figure 11. 1FGFW “ask Mr. Robot” provides performance data for players . 109 Figure 12. 1FGFW members are given homework by guild leadership . 110 Figure 13. 1FGFW guild members review and engage in strategic recommendations . ..