A Psychosocial Perspective about Mental Health and League of Legends in Brazil

Abstract

Every month, millions of users worldwide play the online digital game League of Legends, which also contains a server dedicated to the Brazilian region. Social oppression by race, skin color, sexual orientation, among others, occurs within the game and is reported constantly. In this paper, we analyzed possible indications of depressive disorder by using an online questionnaire as a basis. We used quantitative and qualitative methods, analyzing the relationship between the interactions and the social identities of the players. We define quantitative hypotheses and qualitative syntheses related to different social factors of the game through the analysis of 604 responses. League of Legends has a negative influence on the mental health of socially peripheral players, and the qualitative analysis exposes specific and widespread cases of oppression and discrimination. We present a discussion on ethics, possible collusion with oppression, and proposals for mitigation or solution.