Playing “Fortnite” can expand social networks and boost well-being, study suggests

A study in Norway found that adults who spend more time playing Fortnite Battle Royale and play to interact with friends (social motives) tend to report that playing the game increased their network of friends. Individuals with disabilities who spend more time playing the game tend to see it as having a positive impact on their lives. The research was published in Frontiers in Medical Technology.

Gaming is an activity that appeals to people of all ages. Studies show that the average age of a gamer is currently around 33 years and that 48% of gamers are female. At present, around 3 billion people worldwide are active players of computer games.

Despite the popularity of gaming, many researchers, particularly in psychology and early studies, focused exclusively on the negative outcomes of gaming, often studying them in the context of gaming addiction and linking gaming to mental health problems. However, recent years have seen a wave of studies reporting positive impacts of gaming, such as cognitive benefits and social well-being. These studies indicate that gaming, particularly participating in massively multiplayer online games, is associated with better social well-being. However, the outcome may also depend on the motivation for playing games.

Study author Beate W. Hygen and her colleagues wanted to explore how the time spent playing Fortnite Battle Royale and different motivations for gaming are associated with the size of one’s social network (network of friends and acquaintances) and impact on life and well-being. They also wanted to know how this might depend on gender and whether a person has a disability.

These authors analyzed data from the Norwegian Adult Gamer Study, a survey of adult gamers. Participants included 278 individuals over the age of 16, with an average age of 32 years. The study authors did not compensate them for their participation but entered them in a draft to win three gift certificates worth 500 Norwegian kroner each.

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Participants of the study were players of Fortnite Battle Royale, a popular multiplayer online shooter currently hosting some 83 million players. Players can play solo or in teams (duos, trios, squads) and can decide how many other people they will play with. The game allows players to communicate using a microphone, through signs, or through chat.

As part of the survey, study participants answered questions about the effects of Fortnite Battle Royale on the size of their network of friends and acquaintances (“To what degree do you agree with the following statement: I have expanded my social network [formed new acquaintances, gained new friends who I meet regularly online or offline] through playing Fortnite Battle Royale”), about its impact on their life (“What kind of influence has playing Fortnite Battle Royale had on your life?”), and reported the total number of hours they spend playing it in a typical week.

Additionally, participants completed assessments of well-being (the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience), motivation for playing Fortnite (the Fortnite Motivation Scale), and reported whether they play Fortnite with their family and friends and whether they have a disability.

Results showed that gamers who spent more time playing and who play the game because of social motives tend to report that playing Fortnite Battle Royale expanded their social network. Social motivation was particularly important for this in women.

Men playing for social motives tended to report that the game had a positive impact on their lives. The same was true for women who reported playing motivated by novelty. Persons with disabilities who reported spending more time playing Fortnite Battle Royale were more likely to report that the game had a positive impact on their lives. Women who reported playing Fortnite for social motives tended to report greater well-being.

Regardless of gaming, women living with a spouse or another person, with or without children, tended to report greater well-being compared to women living alone. Women under 20 reported lower well-being compared to women over 40. Unemployed women tended to report worse well-being than women employed full-time.

“Findings showed that time spent gaming and social motivation to play FBR [Fortnite Battle Royale] were associated with expanded social network for all participants. Also, worth noting was the finding showing that more time spent gaming was associated with a perceived positive impact on life for those with a disability,” the study authors concluded.

The study sheds light on the views of Fortnite Battle Royale gamers about the effects of the game on their lives. However, it should be noted that the study focused only on players of a single game and their experiences related to that game. It remains unknown how much these findings can be generalized to other games. Additionally, it cannot be excluded that at least some study participants simply provided the answers they considered socially desirable.

The paper, “Gaming motivation and well-being among Norwegian adult gamers: the role of gender and disability,” was authored by Beate W. Hygen, Christian Wendelborg, Bård Erlend Solstad, Frode Stenseng, Mari Bore Øverland, and Vera Skalicka.