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How Acceptable is Hacking in Gaming Communities? The Impact of Perceived Motivation and Modding on Normative Evaluation.
Thu, September 12, 2:30 to 3:45pm, Faculty of Law, University of Bucharest, Floor: 1st floor, Amphitheater 5 „Constantin Stătescu”Abstract
This study investigates the influence of offender motivation on the perceived acceptability of hacking within the gaming community, with a particular focus on the potential role of modding behaviour. Drawing on previous research linking hacking to online gaming and recognising the significance of perceived motivation in normative evaluations of cyberdeviance, a quasi-experimental study was conducted with 365 British and Irish gamers. Participants were presented with vignettes depicting hacking scenarios characterised by four distinct motivations: Hacking for intellectual challenge, money, social peer, and political justice. Normative evaluation was assessed through measures of injunctive and descriptive in-group norms.
The findings reveal a nuanced relationship between offender motivation and normative evaluation, highlighting a discrepancy between descriptive and injunctive norms. While hacking for intellectual curiosity and money were perceived as prevalent behaviors within the gaming community, participants indicated that hacking for political justice was the most acceptable motivation. Overall, there was limited endorsement of hacking activities, suggesting either a lack of support for hacking among gamers or potential social desirability biases among stigmatised groups such as gamers.
Contrary to expectations, modding behaviour did not significantly impact normative evaluation across any of the motivational scenarios or on descriptive and injunctive norms. This suggests that within healthy gaming communities, modding does not serve as a "gateway" to hacking. These findings contribute to our understanding of the complex interplay between offender motivation, normative perceptions, and gaming behaviour, offering insights into strategies for addressing cyberdeviance within gaming communities.