9: Scrabulous

Scrabulous is a virtual version of the popular Milton Bradley game, Scrabble. The online game was recently made into a Facebook application which has yielded an explosive population of addicted gamers. Scrabulous is now an offshoot of an already addicting online space.

I think Scrabulous is a culprit of problematic internet use (PIU) because it exhibits a number of factors that make certain individuals spend too much time online. In the physical world, people play one “synchronous” Scrabble game at a time, and have to tally up points after every move. On Scrabulous, one only has to click the link to the app on their profile (once one is logged into Facebook, one is logged on to Scrabulous), play a word in one of their games, and move on to other games they are playing with other friends. When one gets bored of Facebook stalking, they can move seamlessly to their Scrabulous application and back.

Wallace defines the “locus of control” as an individual characteristic which measures how much a person feels they are in control of their environment. Those individuals who have an internal locus of control (those who feel like their actions affect their environment) are more likely to become addicted to the Internet, which inherently allows for increased control over the environment. People with an internal locus of control would appreciate the affordances that Scrabulous offers. For instance, scores are calculated and recorded automatically. Each user has a record of their wins and losses that is displayed to other users. One also has access to an electronic dictionary, so there is an increased ability and time commitment to try multiple combinations. In Wallace’s terms, Scrabulous includes “operant conditioning” which, like many forms of gambling, rewards the user on a variable basis. For example, when one plays a word, they receive new tiles randomly. These new tiles seldom include high valued letters such as a “Z” and “Q,” but when the user receives these tiles they are positively rewarded. The game generally does not operate in real time since each user plays their words whenever they log into Facebook. For this reason, addicted users check their games’ status frequently to see if it is their turn. (This is yet another display of operant conditioning.) Scrabulous also includes another addicting characteristic that Wallace mentions – Maintainance of a virtual presence. If a user takes longer than 24 hours to make a move, an option pops up to send the user an automatic Facebook message, or a “nudge” (see the posted image). Wallace also mentions “newbie disease,” which is exhibited when new players have an initial surge of commitment to the game. I personally had a case of newbie disease – I played often at first, but now I am playing fewer games and check them less often.

The affordances of Scrabulous might not cause PIU without a specific individual’s personality. If a user is patient and conscientious, Scrabulous is likely to result in an explosive addiction. Davis, Flett & Besser (2002) describe the principal individual differences that predict PIU, and concluded that individual personalities play a crucial role in PIU.

Caplan (2004) draws a connection between PIU and psychosocial well-being. When one has a psychosocial problem, they feel they are socially lacking. The Internet offers a perceived outlet for this perception, since online spaces are less threatening and one’s actions seem more effective. The preference for internet interaction then leads to excessive and compulsive internet use which detracts from professional, academic, and social life. Like Facebook, Scrabulous may have this effect on certain individuals. You may not have planned to be on Scrabulous very long, but once you start playing in a number of close games, your original intentions are reversed.

Caplan also states that Internet interaction has certain affordances which make it more preferable than FtF interaction. Scrabulous is socially less threatening than Scrabble because the pressure of real time attention is not present online. For example, when one is playing Scrabble you stare your opponent eye-to-eye, and the clock is ticking as you think of your word. Online, one can have unlimited time to make a move, and even look words up in a dictionary before placing the move on the board. Since one’s aptitude is represented by their score and diction, the words that the user chooses are a form of self-presentation. Also, a good wins/loss ratio implies that the person is intelligent.

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