The Intention to Play Online Games in China

중국 게이머의 온라인게임 참여의도에 관한 연구

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of online game properties, social interaction, and player satisfaction on intention to online games in Chinese gamers. Research design, data, and methodology - This study is an empirical analysis assuming that properties of online games, social interaction and satisfaction will induce Chinese gamers' intention to play online games. We set the relationship between the six variables as follows. First, the properties of online games, exogenous variables, were identified by three factors: entertainment, security, participation and challenge. Second, we had input social interaction among gamers as another exogenous variables. Third, the gamer's satisfaction of online games was added to the research model as a mediating variable between exogenous variables and endogenous variables. Finally, gamer's intention to play influenced by satisfaction and social interaction was used as final endogenous variable. The data used for the empirical analysis were collected through questionnaires for Chinese under age 35 who enjoy the online games. The data used in the research were finally extracted from 195 questionnaires. The collected data were tested through the analysis of the measurement model (Step 1) and the analysis of the structural model (Step 2). The covariance structure equation model (SEM) was used for the analysis. The measurement model and structural model were evaluated by the maximum likelihood method. Results - The results of the empirical analysis are as follows. The satisfaction of online games were entertainment and security had a significant effect to satisfaction; but participation and challenge and social interaction had no significant effect on satisfaction. The social interaction among gamers and the satisfaction with online games have a significant influence on the intention to play online games. As a result, the attributes of the game were affecting the intention to play the game after satisfaction. Social interaction influenced the intention to play online games rather than satisfaction itself. Conclusions - This study provide some practical implications for the new companies who want to enter the online game industry and seek to competitiveness in China, and provide theoretical implications on the role of interaction among gamers in the study of online games.