Can People Develop a Sense of Belonging
Through Playing League of Legends?
Veerle Scholtes Mirte van Hout
Erasmus University College Erasmus University College
Rotterdam, The Netherlands Rotterdam, The Netherlands
v.fscholtes@gmail.com mirte.vanhout@hotmail.com
ABSTRACT
This paper investigates the relation between playing League
of Legends and levels of sense of belonging. Firstly, the
differences between players and non-players are studied.
Secondly, the difference in sense of belonging between
premade team and solo players is examined. To investigate
this, a questionnaire containing questions about League of
Legends and a measure of sense of belonging was posted on
Facebook and on several online League of Legends
platforms. Firstly, participants were assigned to either the
player or non-player group. Subsequently, the player group
was divided into a solo and pre-made team condition. In order
to compare the groups, two independent samples t-tests were
performed. The results do not show a significant difference
in levels of sense of belonging between players and non-
players. However, the results indicate that pre-made team
players have a significantly higher level of sense of belonging
than solo players.
Author Keywords
Sense of belonging; virtual communities; sense of
community; League of Legends.
ACM Classification Keywords
H.5.3 [Group and Organization Interfaces]: Computer
supported cooperative work. K.8.0 [Personal Computing]:
Games. J.4 [Social and Behavioral Sciences]: Psychology.
INTRODUCTION
In April 2016, Rotterdam hosted the third edition of the
European League of Legends Championships. This
competition is seen as a real sports event. Professional teams
work with coaches, thousands of fans cheer for their gaming
heroes in the stadium and the tournament is even broadcast
on television. The enormous attendance of fans and interest
in the championships shows the popularity of League of
Legends. This cooperative video game was played by
Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for
personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are
not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies
bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for
components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored.
Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to
post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission
and/or a fee. Request permissions from Permissions@acm.org.
ACE2016, November 09-12, 2016, Osaka, Japan
© 2016 ACM. ISBN 978-1-4503-4773-0/16/11…$15.00
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3001773.3001784
Louise van Koppen
Erasmus University College
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
loesvankoppen@gmail.com
approximately 7.5 million people every hour in 2014 and
only more people have started playing the game since.
Even though video games often do not involve real life
communication, League of Legends can contribute to a
certain sense of connectedness as the players always play in
teams of five. These teams can be formed randomly -
referred to as playing ‘solo’ - or they are pre-made, meaning
team members play together regularly. In both cases, the
players are part of a distinct group with a common goal. The
need to be an accepted member of a group, called sense of
belonging, is inherent to humans and crucial to our
wellbeing. This paper investigates whether playing League
of Legends influences people’s sense of belonging.
Several previous studies investigated the negative effects of
videogames on people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.
For example, video game play is negatively correlated with
academic performance, and an increasing amount of studies
established links between playing violent videogames and
aggressive behaviour [Anderson, 2004; Anderson and
Bushman, 2001; Gentile et al., 2004; Möller and Krahé,
2009]. However, other studies suggest that videogames can
also have beneficial effects. For instance, playing prosocial
videogames is believed to have a positive effect on prosocial
thoughts and behaviour in real life [Gentile et al., 2009;
Greitemeyer and Osswald, 2010].
Still, the potential positive effects of videogame play
received considerably less attention from the academic
community than negative effects did. Since people spend
increasing amounts of time playing League of Legends, it is
relevant to understand how this game affects their feelings
and behaviour, negatively as well as positively. Furthermore,
as a sense of belonging is crucial for our wellbeing, it could
be rewarding to know whether a popular video game such as
League of Legends can contribute to this feeling.
Therefore, this study aims to investigate whether there is a
difference in sense of belonging between people who do not
play League of Legends and people who do, also
distinguishing between solo and pre-made team players.
Sense of Belonging
Sense of belonging is defined as “sense of personal
involvement in a social system so that persons feel
themselves to be an indispensable and integral part of the
system” [Anant, 1966, p.21]. It is an emotional need found
in all humans, which motivates us to be an accepted member
of a group. Whether it is family, friends, or a sports team, the
need people have to belong to something greater than
themselves is inherent to human nature [Fiske, 2004]. An
important aspect of sense of belonging is a sense of
connectedness [Vandemark, 2007]. Sense of connectedness
refers to the quality, and number of connections people have
with others in their social circle, such as family, friends, and
colleagues. Furthermore, a sense of place is crucial to one’s
sense of belonging. Attachment to places, or ‘locales’, is
central to self-identity, as well as sense of belonging
[Vandemark, 2007].
Furthermore, the need to establish and maintain rewarding
interpersonal relationships with others is vital to our health,
adjustment, and wellbeing [Baumeister and Leary, 1995].
Previous studies established links between low levels of
sense of belonging and various mental health problems,
including increased vulnerability to depression and stress,
and impaired psychological and social functioning [Hagerty
and Williams, 1999; Hagerty et al., 1996; Hill, 2006]. In
addition, studies show that college students who have
adequate levels of sense of belonging are more academically
engaged in comparison with students who do not [Furrer and
Skinner, 2003; Kember et al., 2001]. Moreover, Baumeister
and Leary [1995] found strong support for the belongingness
hypothesis, stating that people seek to establish social bonds
in nearly all situations and resist dissolution of existing social
attachments. Hence, developing a sense of belonging is
crucial to our wellbeing, and a fundamental motivation for
action.
Virtual Settlements and Virtual Communities
One way to develop a sense of belonging is through
membership to a community, physical or virtual. Jones
[1997] made a distinction between virtual settlements and
virtual communities. Computer-mediated interactions are
considered virtual settlements ‘‘when objective measures of
computer-mediated interaction - such as the number of
messages, the proportion of public communications, the
proportion of active members, and continuity of participation
- exceed some threshold levels’’ [Blanchard and Markus,
2004, p. 66]. In virtual communities, members also
experience affective bonds with each other. As a result, the
members of the virtual platform develop a sense of
community.
Sense of community is characterized by feelings of belonging
and attachment, not necessarily by physical proximity
[Burroughs and Eby, 1988; McMillan and Chavis, 1986;
Wellman, 1996]. This suggests that members of virtual
communities can develop a sense of community similar to the
sense of community that exists in non-virtual communities.
Indeed, Blanchard and Markus [2004] found that the three
social processes that are distinctive for non-virtual
communities, being exchanging support, creating identities,
and producing trust, also apply to virtual communities. Even
though sense of community and sense of belonging are not
the same, they are strongly related. Sense of belonging is an
important characteristic of sense of community, and people’s
need to be part of something larger than themselves is a
central aspect of sense of belonging [Fiske, 2004;
Vandemark, 2007; Blanchard and Markus, 2004].
League of Legends
League of Legends is an example of a virtual community.
According to Kwak, Blackburn and Han [2015], League of
Legends is played by 67 million active members a month, 27
million of which play the game every day. With these
numbers, it is considered the most popular game of the
moment [Kwak et al., 2015].
League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle game which is
free to play for everyone. The goal of the game is to destroy the
Nexus, which is the opposing team’s central base. The game is
played in several matches of approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
Each match is played between two teams, consisting of five
members. Players can form a team with friends, which is
called a pre-made team. Otherwise players are randomly
grouped with others with comparable skill levels; this is
referred to as playing solo. League of Legends has a chat
function to enable the players to communicate, allowing
them to develop a sense of belonging [Kwak et al., 2015].
However, players can also use the chat function to bother
others with offensive language.
Within the game, a set of rules named ‘The Summoner’s
Code’ applies, with nine important ‘codes’ [Riot Games,
2016b]. Generally, the codes are about how players should
treat each other respectfully. Cooperation is an important
aspect of the game as well as communication, which should
happen with respect, openness and without insulting other
players. With The Summoner’s Codes, League of Legends
encourages collaboration and sportsmanship between
players. However, the true impact of the Code remains
questionable, as players often do not adhere to its rules.
Several tools are implemented in the game to enforce the
code. For example, it is possible to send friend requests or
praise other players by honoring them [Riot Games, 2016a].
Besides tools to reinforce prosocial behavior, players also
have the option to report players who do not honor The
Summoner’s Code [Riot Games, 2015]. Even though this
option exists, players are hardly ever banned for bad behavior
because the reporting system is not used properly.
League of Legends and Sense of Belonging
According to Putnam [2000], League of Legends creates
many opportunities for social interaction between players,
and has been increasingly important for young people to
gain social capital. Social capital consists of “social
relationships that, while not providing deep emotional
support per se, typically function to expose the individual to
a diversity of worldviews” [Steinkuehler and Williams,
2006, p.886]. Furthermore, Putnam [2000] also argues that
multiplayer online games, such as League of Legends, can
function as a place to meet, interact and befriend others,
similar to pubs, coffee shops and other hangout places. In
this sense, online games serve as third places [Steinkuehler
and Williams, 2006].
Consequently, players can create meaningful friendships
with people they meet online [Farrugia et al., 2014]. In fact,
one of the interviewed players confirms that the relationships
that are most significant to her sense of belonging and
identity are created online. Similarly, another study found
support for the claim that League of Legends creates high
opportunities for social interaction, as team members need to
cooperate to win the game [Straker et al., 2015]. This way, a
team can be considered a small social system. Moreover,
multiplayer games can provide a sense of belonging, as the
players cooperate either via the Internet or in person [Ryan
et al., 2006].
However, according to Straker et al. [2015], League of
Legends only creates a moderate sense of belonging, even
though it offers many opportunities for social interaction.
According to these researchers, the sense of belonging the
teams provide is temporary: players feel they are accepted
members of the group as long as the game lasts. When the
teams break up at the end of the game, this feeling disappears.
This notion is only applicable to solo players, as pre-made
teams tend to stay together. Moreover, a player could be
insulted by other players, when his team members are more
skilled than he or she is.
Hypotheses
Sense of belonging is the emotional need people have to feel
as accepted, and important members of their group. The
concept of sense of community is related to sense of
belonging. This sense of community can exist within face-to-
face, as well as in virtual communities. By experiencing
affective bonds with each other, members of virtual
communities develop a sense of community similar to the one
that exists in face-to-face communities.
League of Legends is an example of a virtual community. It
is a multiplayer game, in which two teams of five compete
against each other. Players can play solo or in a pre-made
team. The chat function enables players to communicate and
cooperate.
Consequently, virtual communities such as League of
Legends serve as platforms for players to meet and befriend
others. This allows players to gain social capital or –
according to other studies – meaningful friendships.
Moreover, other researchers argue that League of Legends
provides players with a sense of belonging. On the other
hand, it is also noted that League of Legends only provides a
temporary sense of belonging, as teams break up at the end
of a game. In addition, the chat function can be used to insult
others.
Still, the notion that players develop a temporary sense of
belonging through playing League of Legends, implies that
players derive a certain sense of belonging from the game.
Furthermore, this suggests that the sense of belonging
remains as long as the teams stay together. In accordance
with studies conducted by Kwak et al. [2015] and Straker et
al. [2015], the following hypotheses were formulated:
H1. People who play League of Legends have a higher level
of sense of belonging compared to non-players
H2. Pre-made team players have a higher level of sense of
belonging compared to solo players
First, the methods used to test these hypotheses are explained.
Subsequently, the results are presented and interpreted in
light of the hypotheses. The paper finishes with a discussion
and conclusion.
METHOD
Participants
The sample investigated in the current study (n=77) included
both people who play, as well as people who do not play
League of Legends. From the respondents, 57 (73.1%) were
male, the remaining 21 (26.9%) were female. Their mean age
was 19.5 (SD=2.6), and ranged from 14 to 27. Furthermore,
the sample included 44 Dutch, and 33 international
participants. One participant was excluded from the sample,
as several values were missing.
From the 77 participants, 45 (57.6%) played League of
Legends. The majority of the players, 26 (57.8%) indicated
they play almost every day. Furthermore, 14 (31.1%) play
once or twice a week. The remaining five participants play
League of Legends on average once or twice a month. The
League of Legends players were divided in two groups, the
solo and pre-made team group. The solo group contained the
participants who played solo (n=17), the participants who
play in pre-made teams were placed in the pre-made team
group (n=28). Apart from the solo and premade team groups,
there was a control group composed of participants who do
not play League of Legends (n=32). The choice for a control
group which did not play a game was made, because this is
an introductory study to examine if there is a difference
between playing League of Legends and playing no game.
Research Design
Sampling Method
Data were collected from 45 people playing League of
Legends and 32 people who did not play this game. The
participants were invited to administer the survey (Appendix
A) either via a League of Legends forum, the Erasmus
University College Facebook page, or via the Facebook
group of a student association, the Rotterdamsch Studenten
Gezelschap.
Procedure
There were no paper versions of the survey handed out, all
respondents filled it in online. Participation in the study was
voluntary, participants received no compensation. The
present study employs a cross-sectional research design, as
all participants were measured at one point in time.
Measurements
Demographics
The survey first measured gender (1=Male, 2=Female),
nationality and age (date of birth).
League of Legends
Secondly, if participants confirmed they played League of
Legends, several questions were asked about their
engagement in the game. For example, players were asked
how many hours per week they play on average, and if they
played solo, or in a pre-made team.
Sense of Belonging
Lastly, the participants’ sense of belonging was measured
with the questionnaire developed by Hagerty and Patusky
[1995]. The original questionnaire consists of 18 items, each
measuring different aspects of sense of belonging. The
questionnaire used in the present study included 13 of these
statements, such as ‘I feel like I fit in’, ‘What I offer is
valued’ and ‘I could disappear for days without anyone
noticing’. For each item, participants were asked to indicate
to what extent they agreed with it on a 5-point Likert scale.
The possible answers ranged from ‘strongly disagree’ to
‘strongly agree’. When agreement with an item indicated a
high sense of belonging, the answer ‘strongly agree’ led to a
score of five on that item. However, some items were
negatively formulated, meaning that high agreement
indicated a low level of sense of belonging. These items
were recoded to ensure that a high score always indicated a
higher sense of belonging.
Finally, the respondents’ levels of sense of belonging were
assessed by taking the sum of the scores of all answers,
ranging from 13 to 65. The alpha of the original
questionnaire is 0.89. However, as only 13 of the original 18
statements were included in the present questionnaire, the
alpha was calculated again. The questionnaire used in the
present study has a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.90, which
indicates it is a reliable measurement for sense of belonging.
RESULTS
The first hypothesis, stating that people who play League of
Legends have a higher sense of belonging compared to non-
players, was tested by means of an independent samples T-
test. Levene’s Test was significant (0.006 < 0.05), so equal
variances are not assumed. The alpha level of the
independent samples t-test is 0.305, which indicates that
there is no significant difference in level of sense of
belonging (t(72.93)=1.03, p=0.305) (Table 1) between
players (M=53.82, SD=6.17) and non-players (M=55.78,
SD=10.41) (Table 2) (Appendix B1). Following these
results, the hypothesis is rejected.
T Df Sig.
1.3 72.93 0.305
Table 1. Independent Samples T-test Results T=t-score.
Df=Degrees of Freedom. Sig.=Significance.
N M SD
Players 45 53.82 6.17
Non-players 32 55.78 10.41
Table 2. Descriptive Statistics. N=number of participants.
M=mean. SD=standard deviation.
The second hypothesis states that pre-made team players
have a higher level of sense of belonging compared to solo
players. In order to test H2, an independent samples T-test
was performed. As Levene’s Test was significant (0.016 <
0.05), equal variances were not assumed. The t-test showed
there is a significant difference between pre-made team
players (M=56.68, SD=7.94) and solo players (M=49.12,
SD=7.94) (Table 4) in their levels of sense of belonging
(t(24.07)=1.03, p=0.0.34) (Table 3) (Appendix B2). These
results support the second hypothesis.
T Df Sig.
-2.25 24.07 0.034
Table 3. Independent Samples T-test Results. T=t-score.
Df=Degrees of Freedom. Sig.=Significance
N M SD
Pre-made 28 56.68 7.94
team players
Solo players 17 49.12 12.41
Table 4. Descriptive Statistics. N=number of participants.
M=mean. SD=standard deviation.
DISCUSSION
Firstly, the current study investigated whether there are
differences in levels of sense of belonging between people
who play League of Legends compared to people who do not.
Secondly, the study examined whether there is a difference
in sense of belonging between people who play in pre-made
teams, compared to people who play solo. The research
design included a non-player group, a solo-player group, and
a pre-made team group. Participants were recruited via the
University College Facebook page, the Rotterdamsch
Studenten Gezelschap Facebook group and a League of
Legends forum.
In line with research conducted by Kwak et al. [2015], we
hypothesized that people who play League of Legends have
a higher level of sense of belonging compared to people who
do not play this game. However, our results do not provide
support for this hypothesis.
A possible explanation for this unexpected result is the fact
that our non-playing group only included university students,
many of which are members of a student association.
Previous research indicates that students who are members of
a sorority or fraternity have a higher level of sense of
belonging compared to non-members [Maestas et al., 2007].
Therefore, it could be that the average level of sense of
belonging among the non-players in our sample is higher than
the average for the population. This could explain why there
is no difference between the player and non-player groups.
Furthermore, based on research conducted by Straker et.al.
[2015], we hypothesized that people who play League of
Legends in a pre-made team have a higher sense of belonging
than people who play solo. Contrary to the first hypothesis,
this hypothesis is supported by the results.
The results show that pre-made team players have a higher
level of sense of belonging than solo players. This result
could be used to increase the sense of belonging of certain
target groups. For example, people with low levels of sense
of belonging who already play League of Legends as solo
players, can be advised to play in a pre-made team to increase
their sense of belonging. This assumes that playing in a pre-
made team increases one’s sense of belonging. On the other
hand, it is possible that people who play in a premade team
are more socially skilled to begin with, and therefore already
have a higher sense of belonging. As the current study is
correlational, we cannot draw conclusions about the direction
of the relationship.
There are several limitations to the present study. Firstly, the
sample was not randomly selected. The questionnaire was
posted on the Internet and participants administered the
survey on a voluntary basis. As we do not know our non-
response rate, it is impossible to say anything about who
refrained from participating in the study, and why.
Therefore, we cannot be sure whether the data gathered from
the sample are representative for all League of Legends
players. For example, it could be that people with a low level
of sense of belonging did not feel like participating in the
research. This could have influenced the results.
Furthermore, several ambiguous items from the original
sense of belonging scale developed by Hagerty and Patusky
[1995] were removed for the purpose of this study.
Theoretically, it is possible that the five deleted items
together measure an aspect of sense of belonging that is not
covered in the shorter version of the questionnaire. However,
the Cronbach‘s alpha was calculated again, resulting in a
score of 0.90. This indicates that the edited version of the
questionnaire is also a reliable measure for sense of
belonging.
Future research could investigate differences in levels of
sense of belonging in a more representative sample,
including not only university students, but also people of
other ages and with varying levels of education.
Additionally, participants could be randomly assigned to a
pre-made team, solo, and non-player condition. This would
allow researchers to investigate whether the relationship
between playing League of Legends and sense of belonging
is causal or correlational.
Additionally, future studies could investigate other
community games, such as Habbo. In contrary to League of
Legends, Habbo is not competitive. It would be interesting to
see whether this aspect makes a difference for players’ sense
of belonging. Furthermore, League of Legends players could
also be compared to people who play non-cooperative
multiplayer games. This way, the effect of the cooperative
aspect on players’ sense of belonging could be investigated.
In conclusion, this study found no significant difference in
levels of sense of belonging between non-players compared
to people who do play League of Legends. The hypothesis
stating that people who play in a pre-made team have a higher
level of sense of belonging than solo players, is supported by
the results. To determine whether the relationship between
playing in a pre-made team and sense of belonging is causal,
further research is necessary.
REFERENCES
1. Anon. 2015. Reporting a Player. (2015). Retrieved
June 9, 2016 from https://support.riotgames.com/hc/en-
us/articles/201752884-Reporting-a-Player
2. Anon. 2016. The Summoner's Code. (2016). Retrieved
2016 from
http://gameinfo.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/game-
info/get-started/summoners-code/
3. Anon. 2016. The Summoner's Code. (2016). Retrieved
2016 from
http://gameinfo.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/gameinfo/g
et-started/summoners-code/
4. Craig A. Anderson. 2004. An update on the effects of
playing violent video games. Journal of Adolescence
27, 1 (2004), 113–122.
DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2003.10.0
5. Craig A. Anderson and Brad J. Bushman. 2001. Effects
of Violent Video Games on Aggressive Behavior,
Aggressive Cognition, Aggressive Affect,
Physiological Arousal, and Prosocial Behavior: A
Meta-Analytic Review of the Scientific Literature.
Psychological Science 12, 5 (January 2001), 353–359.
DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.00366
6. Roy F. Baumeister and Mark R. Leary. 1995. The need
to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a
fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin
117, 3 (1995), 497–529.
DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497
7. Anita L. Blanchard and M.Lynne Markus. 2004. The
experienced "sense" of a virtual community. SIGMIS
Database ACM SIGMIS Database 35, 1 (March 2004),
64.
DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/968464.968470
8. D. Farrugia, J. Smyth, and T. Harrison. 2014. Rural
young people in late modernity: Place, globalisation
and the spatial contours of identity. Current Sociology
62, 7 (August 2014), 1036–1054.
DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0011392114538959
9. Susan T. Fiske. 2004. Social beings: a core motives
approach to social psychology, Hoboken, NJ: J. Wiley.
10. Douglas A. Gentile, Paul J. Lynch, Jennifer Ruh
Linder, and David A. Walsh. 2004. The effects of
violent video game habits on adolescent hostility,
aggressive behaviors, and school performance. Journal
 of Adolescence 27, 1 (2004), 5–22.
DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2003.10.0
11. Tobias Greitemeyer and Silvia Osswald. 2010. Effects
of prosocial video games on prosocial behavior.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 98, 2
(2010), 211–221.
DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0016997
12. Bonnie M. Hagerty and Reg A. Williams. 1999. The
Effects of Sense of Belonging, Social Support,
Conflict, and Loneliness on Depression. Nursing
Research 48, 4 (1999), 215–219.
DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00006199-199907000-
00004Hagerty, B. M., Williams, R. A.,
13. Quentin Jones. 1997. Virtual Communities, Virtual
Settlements & CyberArchaeology: A Theoretical
Outline. Journal of ComputerMediated Communication
3, 3 (1997).
14. S. S. Anant. 1966. Need to belong. Canadas Mental
Health, 14(2), 21-27.
15. Haewoon Kwak, Jeremy Blackburn, and Seungyeop
Han. 2015. Exploring Cyberbullying and Other Toxic
Behavior in Team Competition Online Games.
Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference on
Human Factors in Computing Systems - CHI '15
(2015).
DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2702123.2702529
16. Ricardo Maestas, Gloria S. Vaquera, and Linda Muñoz
Zehr. 2007. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education 6, 3
(2007), 237–256.
17. Ingrid Möller and Barbara Krahé. 2009. Exposure to
violent video games and aggression in German
adolescents: a longitudinal analysis. Aggressive
Behavior 35, 1 (2009), 75–89.
DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ab.20290
18. Robert D. Putnam. 2000. Bowling alone: the collapse
and revival of American community, New York: Simon
& Schuster.
19. Leon M. Straker et al. 2015. Efficient and Effective
Change Principles in Active Videogames. Games for
Health Journal 4, 1 (2015), 43–52.
DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/g4h.2014.0077
20. Lisa M. Vandemark. 2007. Promoting the Sense of
Self, Place, and Belonging in Displaced Persons: The
Example of Homelessness. Archives of Psychiatric
Nursing 21, 5 (2007), 241–248.
DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2007.06.003