Effect of increase in allotted time on game playing performance: Case study of an online word game

Online game players tend to differ in the duration of time they play. However, no matter whether the time on playing an online game is spent positively or negatively, we may assume that when the duration of each online-game round is increased, players tend to engage in more interaction with their opponents. Though there are a significant number of research studies on time usage in computer games, there is no research exploring the direct effect of time on online game playing performance. As a result, this research aims to investigate the effect of time on player performance based on the case of an online word game. Ninety-three online word games (186 players) were randomly observed via the biggest online board game website in Thailand. The results show that an increase in time does not have effect on players’ performance. The managerial implication for further development is that webmasters may consider offering only time restricted games for players to avoid high traffic in websites; which, in effect will certainly solve the problem of lag time in online gaming.