The structure of recent online game industry is expanding from contents production to provision of services. Therefore, there is growing emphasis on game users’ satisfaction and consistent use of game contents and operation services. However, existi...
The structure of recent online game industry is expanding from contents production to provision of services. Therefore, there is growing emphasis on game users’ satisfaction and consistent use of game contents and operation services. However, existing studies mostly focused on contents characteristics rather than operation services of games and there have not been general discussions on operation services. To make up for this, this study targeted Online Sports Games and analyzed the effects of characteristics of online sports games and the quality of operation services on the intentions of Continuance Usage and intentions of Word-of-Mouth, applying Expectation-Confirmation Model. Through this, this study aims to provide academic and practical implications on expanding the pool of new game users and maintaining the existing users. Also, regarding localization strategy of game industry that is increasingly internationalized, this study verifies the tendency of uncertainty avoidance of Korean and Chinese gamers and the difference between path coefficients of gamer groups of the two countries based on Hofstede’cultural dimensions theory, and aims to provide theoretical implications in localization strategy.
This study examined the factors affecting the intentions of Continuous Usage and Word-of-Mouth. Through various researches on previous studies, factors selected as contents characteristics of online sports games are Sense of Reality, Connectedness, Competitiveness, Ease of Use. Factors chosen for operation service quality were Reliability, Responsiveness, Empathy, Tangibles, and Assurance based on PZB’s SERVQUAL model. For mediating variables, Expectation-Confirmation Model, an expanded version of Expectancy Disconfirmation Model, was used and the Continuance Usage, Perceived Satisfaction and Expectation-Confirmation factors were added to the model and analyzed.
The result shows that Sense of reality and Competitiveness have positively influence on User Satisfaction, Expectation-Confirmation is positively influenced by Connectedness and Ease of use. Moreover, Reliability and Empathy have positively influence on confirmation, User Satisfaction have positively influenced by Assurance, Empathy and Responsiveness.
Seen from the results, Sense of Reality such as realistic graphics and use of strategy are important in online sports games, but what is more important is to keep the tie with between sports games and sports in reality. Through this, games will be able to enhance users’ interest and understanding of real sports and build the basis of virtuous cycle of users keep enjoying games in various ways. This will have a positive effect on increasing long-term AU(active users). And by maximizing the Competitiveness factor of sports through E-Sports competitions and various media, it will be able to heat the fever of online sports games that correspond to real sports. Eventually, this is believed to have a positive influence on the influx of new game users and the loyalty of existing users.
In addition, based on stable operation services and quick response to exception cases, game providers should understand demands and complaints of users through constant communication, grounded on which, they also need to improve and update game contents and operation services.
Third, the tendency of Uncertainty Avoidance and the path coefficients of gamer groups of the two countries, which are factors of Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory, showed significant differences. In Chinese group, uncertainty was comparatively low and preceding studies on localization strategies of existing Chinese online games claim low difficulty level and ease of handling. Based on the empirical analysis result of this study, this can be explained with low uncertainty avoidance. Game users from cultures with low uncertainty avoidance index tend to feel uncomfortable with many rules or complicated setting. In addition, China is not process-oriented but result-oriented so Chinese gamers are not likely to prefer complicated process and rules, and rather than focusing on splendid and dynamic visual factors such as high-definition graphics, game manufacturers need to focus on connotational game contents.
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