
Rank Symbols and Player Behavior: An Analysis of MOBA Game Motivation Based on Social Identity and Social Comparison
- 1 School of English and International Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing, China
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Since the early 2000s, MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) games have gradually become one of the mainstream types in the global game market. This study explores how the ranking system in MOBA games, such as "Honor of Kings", drives players' long-term participation and behavior through symbolic effects, especially in the game motivation, social behavior, and its impact on the self-identity of high-ranking players. This study uses semi-structured interviews to explore how the ranking system of "Honor of Kings" drives players' behavior as a symbol. The study shows that although high-ranking players believe that the sense of achievement brought by the ranking itself gradually weakens over time, the ranking, as a symbolic symbol, continues to drive players' participation. Through the analysis of players' goal setting, social comparison, and identity, this paper reveals how the ranking system drives players' behavior as a goal and strengthens players' self-cognition and social status through social identity and social comparison. Future game design should optimize ranking systems to balance competitiveness with entertainment, ensuring a healthy gaming environment.
Keywords
Ranking System, Social Identity, Social Comparison, Player Behavior, MOBA Games
[1]. Shi, Y., Xu, L., & Tang, K. (2024). Loss of Meaning: a Qualitative Study on the Root Causes of Rural Students' Game Addiction Using "Honor of Kings" as a Game Sample. Global Education Outlook (02), 57-75.
[2]. Xia, T., Lin, X., Mo, X., Su, Q., & Ding, S. (2024). Players' Continuous Willingness to Play in MOBA Game Ranking Mode: Through the Lens of Self-Determination Theory and Social Comparison Theory. Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 1398–11.
[3]. Bae, J., Koo, D. M., & Mattila, P. (2016). Affective Motives to Play Online Games. Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science, 26(2), 174-184.
[4]. Abbasi, A. Z., Rehman, U., Fayyaz, M. S., Ting, D. H., Shah, M. U., & Fatima, R. (2022). Using the Playful Consumption Experience Model to Uncover Behavioral Intention to Play Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games. Data Technologies and Applications, 56(2), 223-246.
[5]. Hussain, A., Mirza, F., Sarker, M., & Ting, D. H. (2024). From Play to Pay: Exploring Imaginal and Emotional Virtual Item Retail Experiences in Online Game Environment. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 1–15.
[6]. Ryan, R. M., Rigby, C. S., & Przybylski, A. (2006). The Motivational Pull of Video Games: A Self-Determination Theory Approach. Motivation and Emotion, 30, 344-360.
[7]. Vallerand, R. J. (2008). On the Psychology of Passion: In Search of the Dualistic Model of Passion. Psychological Inquiry, 19(1), 1-9.
[8]. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being. American Psychologist, 53(1), 25-43.
[9]. Lai, L., & Xiong, T. (2023). Excessive Desire to Win: The Behavioral Impact of Competitive Game Players and Their Resistance Practices. Beijing Cultural Creativity, (05), 90-96.
[10]. Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a Practically Useful Theory of Goal Setting and Task Motivation. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705–717.
[11]. Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The Exercise of Control. W. H. Freeman and Company.
[12]. Chen, Z., & Tang, Y. (2024). Research on the Causes of Addiction to "High Scores" in "Honor of Kings" from the Perspective of Symbolic Communication. Science and Technology Communication, (07), 144-147.
[13]. Festinger, L. (1954). Theory of Social Comparison Processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117-140.
[14]. Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1986). The Social Identity Theory of Intergroup Behavior. In S. Worchel & W. G. Austin (Eds.), Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Nelson-Hall, 7-24.
[15]. Esteves, J., Valogianni, K., & Greenhill, A. (2021). Online Social Games: The Effect of Social Comparison Elements on Continuance Behaviour. Information & Management, 58, 103452.
Cite this article
Han,J. (2025). Rank Symbols and Player Behavior: An Analysis of MOBA Game Motivation Based on Social Identity and Social Comparison. Communications in Humanities Research,66,38-44.
Data availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.
Disclaimer/Publisher's Note
The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s). EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.
About volume
Volume title: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Literature, Language, and Culture Development
© 2024 by the author(s). Licensee EWA Publishing, Oxford, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors who
publish this series agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this
series.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series's published
version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial
publication in this series.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and
during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See
Open access policy for details).