AI 中文总结
该研究以《末日生存》游戏为对象，通过半结构化访谈等方法，探讨玩家对不平等的感知与应对。发现玩家态度因地位而异，不平等对玩家行为的影响取决于多种因素，揭示了虚拟过程中人类社会认知及行为的转变。
AI 中文摘要
现实社会中的不平等与心理困扰及行为后果相关。但虚拟环境或虚构世界中的不平等是否有类似影响尚不清楚。随着网络游戏成为重要社交空间，研究玩家如何感知和应对网络结构与资源差异很关键。本研究通过半结构化访谈和出声思考游戏流程协议，研究了在线模拟游戏《末日生存》中的不平等认知。分析发现玩家对不平等的态度因相对地位而异：地位低时批评不公平结构，随着资源积累或社交融入获得利益后，许多人会维护曾反对的系统。不平等对玩家行为的影响取决于游戏机制透明度、社区等级结构和社会资本差异。这项工作展示了在虚拟过程中人类社会认知及行为是如何转变的。
英文摘要
Inequality in real-world societies are associated with psychological distress and behavioral consequences. However, less is known about whether similar dynamics emerge when inequality exists within virtual environments or make-belief worlds. As online games increasingly constitute meaningful social spaces, it becomes critical to examine how players perceive and react to structural and resource differences online to optimize their experiences. This study studies perceptions of inequality in the online simulation game "Whiteout Survival," using semi-structured interviews and think-aloud gameplay walkthrough protocols. By focusing on players' interpretations of resource distribution, ranking systems, gaming mechanisms, and in-game social dynamics, our analyses revealed that players' attitudes on inequality vary according to their relative status: those occupying lower positions often criticize unfair structures, yet as they acquire stakes through resource accumulation or social integration, many defend the same systems they previously opposed. These shifts reveal how hierarchies reproduce position-dependent evaluations of fairness. The consequences of inequality on player actions depended on the transparency of game mechanisms, the structure of community hierarchies, and differential social capital. This work shows how human social perception and consequent actions are transformed when enacted in virtual processes in make-belief.
Comments40 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, will be presenting this paper at CHIPLAY 2026
DOI：10.1145/3831110
