The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between the self-reported demographic characteristics of high school students that play games online and their social preferences when playing offline and online. Adolescents are using communication tools while playing games to meet new people, learn new strategies, and maintain friendships. Online gaming is partially fulfilling the adolescent's social and learning needs. This study found the average participant played video games less than one hour a day, identifying them as casual gamers. Participants preferred to play online games and to play collaboratively with other people rather than playing alone or against the computer. This study was designed to be a starting point for understanding how students interact when playing games and how this type of engagement can be transferred to learning situations and inform the design of educational games. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]