What if Bourdieu had played FarmVille? Examining users’ motives for playing the browser game FarmVille in relation to socio-demographic variablesWas wäre gewesen, wenn Bourdieu FarmVille gespielt hätte? Eine empirische Analyse der Nutzungsmotive für das Browser Game FarmVille unter Berücksichtigung soziodemografischer Variablen

With its almost 80,000,000 users, FarmVille is the number one browser game on the Internet. This real time game places its players into the role of a farmer who has to plough land and raise livestock. Given the game’s popularity, on the one hand, and the specific overall theme of farming, on the other, we ask which motives drive players to participate in a game that involves such a considerable amount of time and effort. Against the background of Bourdieu’s sociological perspective and concept of habitus, we hypothesized that diverse user characteristics impact usage motives. A survey we conducted (N = 210) revealed, for example, that entertainment, challenge, and escapism were the most important motives. Furthermore, a relationship between the occupational status of players and their gaming motives was found: Those who had not yet started an occupational career focused more on entertainment and challenge than gamers who had gained occupational success. Results are discussed against the background of Pierre Bourdieu’s sociology of difference.