Imagine that everything you have built and invested your energy in disappears without a trace in a few days. What kind of behavior would a person choose if they knew the exact date of the “end of the world”? This question has long interested philosophers, writers, and psychologists, but only recently have researchers been able to approach its study experimentally by selecting digital reality as the setting. A team of scientists turned a multiplayer online game into a real laboratory in order to understand what happens to people’s norms and habits in conditions of complete disappearance of the future.
Why It Is Impossible to Study the End of the World in Reality
Humanity has pondered its own end for centuries: the apocalypse holds a special place in culture and mass consciousness. However, conducting a real experiment with the “end of the world” is impossible due to ethical, practical, and technical limitations. No laboratory can simulate the conditions of total disappearance of the future for thousands of people without causing harm to participants. Therefore, science lacks accurate data on human behavior in extreme conditions and is forced to seek alternative approaches to studying the topic.
The Virtual World as a Laboratory
The research group decided to take advantage of the potential of the massive multiplayer online role-playing game ArcheAge, where thousands of people interact in a single digital space. Within the framework of the experiment, participants freely explored the world, completed quests, and developed their characters, but knew that after 11 weeks the server would be completely deleted and all achievements would disappear. This format made it possible to observe the behavior of a large number of people who found themselves in a situation of an inevitable end. According to the authors, such a game experiment closely resembles a miniature model of a global apocalypse.
How Data Was Collected and Analyzed
During the experiment, the researchers analyzed more than 270 million in-game events, including data on character leveling, quest completion, social interaction, and chat activity. Particular attention was paid to how the dynamics of these indicators changed as the end date approached. The results of the work were presented at the 26th International World Wide Web Conference and also published in open access on arXiv, confirming the transparency and scientific significance of the experiment.
What Do Players Do When the World Is Being Destroyed?
Analysis of the collected data showed that most participants remained calm even in the last days of the virtual world’s existence. There were no mass outbreaks of aggression or disorder, although some players did choose an antisocial strategy, staging virtual conflicts. At the same time, many participants stopped striving for character development and quest completion, which was reflected in a sharp decline in activity in those areas. Meanwhile, there was an increase in the number of new temporary groups and an increase in positive messages in game chats.
Why Do Players Choose Peaceful Behavior?
Researchers suggest that the peaceful behavior of the majority is related to internal moral norms and attachment to the gaming community. Even in the absence of fear of punishment and the complete loss of meaning in achievements, people did not descend into total chaos. This phenomenon may be explained by habitual adherence to social norms, as well as the desire to maintain a positive atmosphere in the group until the very end. The question arises: will these tendencies remain strong if it is not the virtual world but the real world at stake?
Exceptions and “Deviant” Players
During data analysis, a separate category of players was identified—the so-called “churners,” who left the game before the end. The study showed that it was among them that manifestations of aggression and antisocial behavior were more common. Loss of attachment to the game world and a sense of impunity led these people to a personal break with established norms, which manifested in attacks on others and breaking social ties.
However, many players probably left the closing server to try other games. After all, the modern gaming industry offers many ways to have a good time — from major AAA projects to small arcade and virtual gambling games, which have become quite popular. We came to such conclusions after analyzing data from http://lucky-jet-game.com.in/, where reviews of the game Lucky Jet are posted. Statistics show that the popularity of this and other gambling games is constantly growing. Therefore, the decision of players to leave the ArcheAge servers is quite understandable.
Ultimately, video games are not the only option. There are many ways to spend a good day at home. Therefore, the data from the experiment are not complete and cannot be interpreted unambiguously.
Significance of the Experiment’s Results and Context
The authors of the study emphasize that the results cannot be automatically transferred to real life, since virtual experience is fundamentally different from real threats. At the same time, such experiments make it possible to test social hypotheses in a controlled environment and identify basic behavioral patterns. In the future, such approaches will help to better understand how people react to uncertainty and mass changes, as well as to develop new strategies to support society in times of crisis.
Interest in the theme of the end of the world is reflected not only in science, but also in art, literature, and cinema. Apocalypse scenarios are often used as a field for experiments on human nature. The experiment in ArcheAge echoes well-known social tests, such as the “survival experiment” or the analysis of behavior in disaster conditions. A rhetorical question arises: if everyone knew the exact date of the end, would their attitude toward others change?
The experiment in the world of ArcheAge has opened new horizons for studying behavior in conditions of total uncertainty. Today, researchers are discussing the possibility of using virtual spaces to model other social scenarios and crises. As the authors of the work assert, “observing how players form new temporary connections can tell us a lot about the nature of mutual assistance and solidarity.” In the future, such studies will help to better understand not only virtual, but also real mechanisms of human interaction in extreme situations.
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