Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, 33014, Tampere, Finland.
Institute of Criminology and Legal Policy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
J Gambl Stud. 2021 Mar;37(1):165-187. doi: 10.1007/s10899-020-09946-1.
Gambling opportunities are facilitated by the growth of the Internet and social media platforms. Digital games also increasingly include monetary features, such as microtransactions, blurring the line between gambling and gaming. The Internet provides a variety of virtual communities for gamblers and gamers, but comprehensive research on these communities and their relevance in gambling and monetary gaming behaviors remains scarce. This paper summarizes research of online gambling and monetary gaming communities based on a systematic literature review. A systematic literature search was conducted from five databases: Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Social Science Premium Collection, and EBSCOhost. The search was limited to empirical articles that focused on gambling or gaming involving money and examined online interaction between gamblers or gamers. Preliminary search resulted in 1056 articles, from which 55 were selected for the analyses based on pre-determined criteria. According to results, online communities serve different functions in gambling and gaming behaviors. Gambling communities are typically forums for discussing and sharing gambling experiences, strategies, and tips as well as gambling problems, while gaming communities are inherently embedded inside a game being an essential part of the gaming experience. Identification with virtual communities influences gambling behavior and monetary gaming behavior through mechanisms of perceived norms, social influence, and community feedback. Whereas some gambling communities may provide protection from excessive gambling habits, gaming communities seem to solely motivate gaming behavior and purchase intentions. The role of online communities should be acknowledged in prevention and treatment of gambling and gaming problems.
赌博机会随着互联网和社交媒体平台的发展而增加。数字游戏也越来越多地包含货币功能，如微交易，模糊了赌博和游戏之间的界限。互联网为赌徒和游戏玩家提供了各种虚拟社区，但对这些社区及其在赌博和货币游戏行为中的相关性的综合研究仍然很少。本文基于系统文献综述总结了在线赌博和货币游戏社区的研究。从五个数据库（Scopus、Web of Science、PsycINFO、Social Science Premium Collection 和 EBSCOhost）中进行了系统文献检索。搜索仅限于关注涉及金钱的赌博或游戏并研究赌徒或游戏玩家之间在线互动的实证文章。初步搜索产生了 1056 篇文章，其中根据预定标准选择了 55 篇进行分析。根据结果，在线社区在赌博和游戏行为中具有不同的功能。赌博社区通常是讨论和分享赌博经验、策略和技巧以及赌博问题的论坛，而游戏社区则内在地嵌入在游戏中，是游戏体验的重要组成部分。对虚拟社区的认同通过感知规范、社会影响和社区反馈机制影响赌博行为和货币游戏行为。虽然一些赌博社区可能有助于防止过度赌博习惯，但游戏社区似乎只会激发游戏行为和购买意愿。在线社区的作用应在赌博和游戏问题的预防和治疗中得到承认。
