Factors Affecting Expectancy for Character Growth in Online Games and Their Effect on Gamers' Loyalty

This study aims to understand the effect of expectancy for character growth (learning, novelty, escapism, enjoyment, social value, audio-visual value, and value for money) on online games towards online gamer loyalty. This quantitative research uses a purposive sampling method with a sample of 375 respondents. The data were processed using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) method. The results showed that learning, escapism, audio-visual value, and value for money have a positive effect on expectancy for character growth. However, novelty, enjoyment, and social value do not have an effect on expectancy for character growth. Furthermore, expectancy for character growth has a positive effect on online gamer loyalty. Therefore, game developers need to know the fantasy of gamers, improve the quality of graphics, and provide discounts to increase gamers’ loyalt

Gamers' Reasons for Purchasing Gaming Virtual Products: A Systematic Review

With the development of the gaming industry, the trend of gaming virtual goods consumption is gradually growing, and online gaming goods consumption has become a hot topic. Players spend a lot of money purchasing virtual items. Why do people buy these items? Therefore, we conduct a systematic literature review to investigate the reasons for purchasing virtual goods in games. We use the “The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses” (PRISMA) statement to guide the data collection, analysis and reporting project for the systematic review. This article obtained 37 papers from the Web of Science (WOS) and Scopus databases. The article covers research during the period 2013-2023. We review the independent and dependent variables, research methods, theoretical background, and findings involved in the relevant literature. The study finds that the "enjoyment", "social attributes" and "functional value" of gaming products often play a key role in consumer purchases at certain times and among certain user groups. It is the hope of this paper that these findings will increase gaming companies' understanding of what drives players to purchase virtual items. Game designers can grasp the needs of game users and better convert ideas into payment points so that game companies can get higher profits

Understanding the Mobile Gaming Context and Player Behaviour: A Review and a Research Agenda

The technological developments in mobile network and mobile computing underpin the dominance of mobile games in the global games market. Extant literature has enriched our understanding on the antecedents of playing mobile games, yet we still lack a comprehensive portrait of this unique gaming context that is distinguished from the context of traditional computer or console gaming. In response, we conduct a literature review to review research gaps on extant mobile gaming literature. Through a review of 181 works, we propose a framework based on the environmental psychology theory to guide future research to investigate the mobile gaming context. Drawing on this framework, we elaborate a research agenda that proposes potential research questions for future research to study the impacts of 1) mobile game design features and mobile application usability, 2) the use context more broadly, and 3) subjective individual differences, on mobile game player’s gaming experience, continued playing intention and in-game purchasing

EDITORIAL

The Scholar: Human Sciences, a journal encompassing the fields of humanities and social sciences, has earned acclaim in the Thailand Citation Index (TCI) as a prominent publication since 2015. It currently holds the esteemed TCI: TIER2 classification. We take great pride in presenting the latest issue, Scholar: Human Sciences Vol. 15 No. 1 (January – June 2023), which features a collection of manuscripts that have undergone rigorous evaluation. Each submission has been meticulously reviewed through a blinded review process by three specialized reviewers from different institutions, both internal and external to the authors. This peer-reviewed accreditation ensures the scholarly quality and integrity of the published articles. This  issue  covers  twenty-six  articles.  The  first  article  titled “Influencing Factors of Behavior Intention of Master of Arts Students Towards Online Education in Chengdu Public Universities, China” aims to investigate influencing factors of behavioral intentions to use online education of Master of Arts students from three public universities in the Chengdu region of China. The  second  article  titled “Determinants of Behavioral Intention to Use Hybrid Education Among Painting Students in Public Universities in Chengdu, China” aims to examine determinants of behavioral intention to use hybrid education among undergraduate students, majoring in painting at three public universities in Chengdu, China. The  third  article  titled “The Application of UTAUT on eLearning Usage Among Physics Students of International Schools in Bangkok, Thailand” aims to identify factors impacting the behavioral intention and use behavior of eLearning among the high school students who have been studying physics in the final two years (Grade 11 and 12) of international schools in Bangkok, Thailand. The  fourth  article  titled “The Influencing Factors of Gen Y Consumers' Purchase Intention of 3D Cameras in Mianyang, China” aims to examine relationship between social influence, perceived quality, attitude, satisfaction, and trust that influence purchase intention of 3D cameras of Generation Y customers in Mianyang, China. The fifth articled titled “The Assessment of Liberal Arts Students’ Behavioral Intention and Use Behavior of Mobile Video Apps in Chongqing, China” aims to assess the influencing factors of behavioral intention and use behavior towards mobile video apps, using a case of Gen Z students in liberal arts in Chongqing, China. The  sixth  article  titled “A Study of Non-Resident Gen Y Chinese’s Purchase Intention of Real Estate in Panzhihua, China” aims to investigate the factors influencing the purchase intention of non-resident Gen Y Chinese of real estate in Panzhihua, China. The  seventh  article  titled “Impacting Factors of Student Satisfaction and Loyalty: A Case Study of Private Universities in Zhejiang, China” mainly studies the factors impacting student satisfaction and loyalty of private universities in Zhejiang, China. The eighth article titled “Identifying Factors Influencing Continuance Intention and Actual Behavior of Online Computer Games in Chongqing, China” aims to identify the factors influencing students’ continuance intention and actual behavior of online computer games in Chongqing, China. The ninth article titled “Factors Impacting Student’s Behavioral Intention to Use Social Media Applications for Online Learning” aims to investigate the impacting factors of students’ behavioral intention to use social media applications for online learning. The  tenth  article  titled “Behavioral Intention and Use Behavior of University Students in Chengdu in Using Virtual Reality Technology for Learning” aims to investigate the factors that influence the usage of virtual reality (VR) technology in learning among university students in Chengdu, China. The  eleventh  article  titled “Factors Influencing Behavioral Intention of Online Learning in the Post-Covid Pandemic: A Case Study of a Primary School in Chengdu, China” aims to determine influencing factors of primary school students’ behavioral intention to use online learning in the post-Covid pandemic in Chengdu, China. The  twelfth  article  titled “Examination of Tax Compliance Behavior Among Citizens in Phnom Penh, Cambodia” aims to examine drivers of tax compliance among citizens in Phnom Penh, Cambodia: economic compliance drivers, individual compliance drivers, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and perceived opportunity. The  thirteenth  article  titled “Blended Learning in Teaching Piano Major Students in the Music Department of Hunan Vocational College of Art” aims to explore the effectiveness of the blended learning approach of piano on the performance of the major students in the Music department of Hunan Vocational College of Art and to determine the students' perceptions of the blended learning approach through a questionnaire survey. The  fourteenth  article  titled “Behavioral Intention and Level of Usage on Convergence Media training Platform on Journalism University Students of Private Universities in Sichuan, China” aims to investigate the factors that affect students' behavioral intention and utilization of behavior in the convergence media training platform and to recommend cultivating converged media talents. The fifteenth article titled “Students’ behavioral intention on interactive video in primary Cinematography of Art Universities in Chengdu, China” aims to explore the effect of using interactive video in major cinematography classrooms and the acceptance of students. The  sixteenth  article  titled “Factors Influencing Online Purchase Intention of Organic Food among Generation X Consumers in Ho Chi Minh” investigates factors influencing online purchase intention among Gen X consumers, incorporated reasons against organic food purchase, health consciousness, reasons for organic food consumption, attitudes, social influence, and perceived risk. The  seventeenth  article  titled “Affecting Factors Affecting Non-Residents’ Attitude towards Online Purchase Intention in Taiyuan China” examines affecting factors of non-residents’ attitudes toward online purchase intention in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China. The eighteenth article titled “Switching Intention and Intention to Use Personal Cloud Storage Services Among Chinese Undergraduates” investigates the factors influencing Hangzhou undergraduates' switching intentions and intention to use personal cloud storage services. The  nineteenth  article  titled “Understanding Online Shopping Behaviors and Purchase Intentions Amongst Undergraduate Students in Chengdu, China” focuses on the factors impacting purchase intention towards actual behavior amongst college students in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. The twentieth article titled “The Exploration on Satisfaction and Loyalty: A Case of Non-Teacher Training Major Students in Chuxiong Normal University, China” aims to examine the factors impacting student satisfaction and loyalty, using a case of non-teacher training major students at Chuxiong Normal University, China. The twenty-first article titled “Mobile Game Players’ Behavioral Intention to Use Facial Recognition Login System in Shanghai, China” aims to study the influences of perceived effectiveness of privacy policy, perceived privacy risk, perceived privacy self-efficacy, privacy concern, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and the behavioral intention of mobile game players toward facial recognition login systems. The twenty-second article titled “Determinants of Postgraduate Students of Fine Arts’ Satisfaction and Performance of e-Learning in Chengdu Region of China” aims to investigate the determinants of e-learning satisfaction and performance of fine arts’ postgraduate students in five universities in Chengdu, China. The twenty-third article titled “Customer Loyalty in the Retail Industry in Yangon, Myanmar” aims to investigate the factors impacting customer loyalty in the retail industry in Yangon, Myanmar, which organizations and marketers need to focus on a competitive edge to gain sustainability in customer loyalty. The twenty-fourth article titled “Factors Affecting Satisfaction and Loyalty of Social Science Students in A Public University in Shanxi, China” aims to determine the impacting factors of satisfaction and loyalty among students majoring in social science at public universities in Shanxi Province. The twenty-fifth article titled “The Examination of Customer’s Brand Loyalty Toward Five-Star Hotels in Bangkok” aims to examine the causal relationship between advanced information and communication technology (ICT), perceived quality (tangibility, responsiveness, reliability, assurance, and empathy), brand awareness, brand image, and brand loyalty. The twenty-sixth article titled “Key Influencers of Satisfaction and Behavioral Intention of In-patients in Chengdu, China” aims to evaluate key influencers of satisfaction and behavioral intention of In-patients in Chengdu, China, which the hospital can understand the expectations of in-patients and improve competitiveness

A step too far? Leader racism inhibits transgression credit

Prior research established that when in-group leaders commit serious transgressions, such as breaking enforceable rules or engaging in bribery, people treat them leniently compared with similarly transgressive regular group members or out-group leaders (‘transgression credit’). The present studies test a boundary condition of this phenomenon, specifically the hypothesis that transgression credit will be lost if a leader's action implies racist motivation. In study 1, in a corporate scenario, a transgressive in-group leader did or did not express racism. In study 2, in a sports scenario, an in-group or out-group leader or member transgressed rules with or without a racist connotation. Both studies showed that in-group transgressive leaders lost their transgression credit if their transgression included a racial connotation. Wider implications for constraining leaders' transgressions are discussed

The Effects of Customer Engagement, Loyalty, and Perceived Value on Purchase Intention of Mobile Game Players

Increasing access to the internet and smartphones has led to a great opportunity for developers to make mobile games and earn profits. The battle royale genre is getting a lot of popularity and free-to-play with in-app purchases of virtual goods is the most common business model that gaming companies use in this genre. While concepts of customer engagement, customer loyalty, and perceived values are well-established in the gaming literature, empirical research on how they affect the purchase intention of players in online mobile battle royale games is not studied. Hence, the question that this study is providing the answer to is “What are the effects of perceived value, customer engagement, and loyalty on the purchase intention of battle royale mobile gamers?”. Based on the literature review, a research framework was presented. To test the hypotheses inside the research framework, data were collected via an online questionnaire created by google forms from online gaming communities. Overall, 50 participants responded to the questionnaire and all of them were valid for analysis. The data were analyzed via linear regression and the reliability of the data was tested via Cron Bach’s alpha measurement. Also, the Sobel test was used to check the mediation effect between variables. SPSS 27 is used for the analysis. The findings suggest that customer engagement, perceived values, and customer loyalty have direct effects on purchase intention in battle royale mobile games. The study also identifies the mediation role of customer loyalty between perceived values and purchase intention. Additionally, the study suggests that a new scale should be developed to measure the perceived values in the gaming context. Managerial implications of this study for the developers and mobile gaming companies are, highlighting the fact that designing exciting and attractive games, offering reasonable prices for items, and creating a community within the game can influence values perceived by the players, increase customer engagement, and enhance customer loyalty, which results in more profits for the company

A Study of Player Behavior And Social Influences to Purchase Intention Mobile Legends: Bang Bang In-Game Item

Purpose: This quantitative study aims to analyze the interest in buying items and skins in the online game Mobile Legends in Indonesia, especially in East Java Province by looking at the psychological and social factors of game players. Player behavior is a psychological factor and social factors are social influence variables. Design/methodology/approach: The number of samples in this study was 310, the sampling method used purposive sampling. Respondents are active Mobile Legends game players who have participated in answering our research questionnaire. The data collection method uses online questionnaire distribution using Google Forms. Measurement of data using answers with a Likert scale of 1 to 10 with 1 point strongly disagree and 10 points strongly agree. Data were analyzed using the PLS-SEM method using Smart PLS 3.0 software. Findings: Player behavior includes achievement, challenge, escapism, and social interaction. Social influences consist of network externality and community involvement. The results of our research show that player behavior consists of achievement, challenge, escapism, and social influences such as network externality, and community involvement have a significant positive effect on Purchase Intention. Originality/value: This study explores the purchase intention of virtual item in the mobile legends game using the uses and gratifications theory (U&G). The application of U&G theory is seen from the behavior of the players. Social influences is also applied to see the influence from outside the players

Branding fashion through gameplay: the branded gaming and the cool dynamics in the fashion markets. A game-theory approach

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the role of immersive gaming on brand coolness and brand equity, with particular emphasis on fashion gaming collaborations. We used game theory as a theoretical framework to analyse immersive branding strategies and gain a deeper understanding of fashion consumers’ decision-making process in gaming environments. Gender, as a significant factor affecting gamers, has been studied as a moderator that impacts the overall proposed framework. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative method was used to assess the significance of relationships within the proposed model empirically. The partial least squares structural equation modelling technique was implemented to assess the relationships of the framework with a sample size of 160 active Malaysian gamers. Findings The findings indicate that brand equity is positively associated with perceived brand coolness. Furthermore, of the three core values of online games, perceived enjoyment is most strongly associated with perceived brand coolness, ahead of the values of self-expression and perceived emotional challenge. The results of the multigroup analysis further suggest that in the fashion industry, building brand equity through online games is strongly related to perceived brand coolness among female respondents, the role of perceived brand coolness being weaker among male respondents. Originality/value The study contributes to the existing literature by providing a deeper understanding of the impact of immersive gaming branding practices on the overall equity of the fashion brand. The results provide insight for fashion brand managers into the significant effect on consumer behaviour outcomes of fashion-gaming collaborations.研究目的 本研究擬探討身歷其境的遊戲體驗在品牌酷感和品牌資產上所扮演的角色; 研究特別強調裝扮遊戲的合作。研究人員以博弈論作為研究的理論框架,來分析沉浸品牌策略、和對時裝消費者在遊戲的環境中如何作出決策取得更深入的瞭解。研究人員探討了性別作為影響遊戲參與者的重要因素,這因素被視為為整個被提出的框架帶來調節的影響和作用。 研究設計/方法/理念 研究人員採用定量方法進行研究,目的為於被提出的模型內之各種關聯的意義進行以經驗為依據的評估。研究人員採用了基於偏最小平方法的結構方程模型研究法,來對一個包含160名活躍的馬來西亞遊戲參與者的樣本進行框架的各個聯繫的評估研究。 研究結果 研究結果顯示,品牌資產與品牌酷感成正相關; 而且,在網絡遊戲的三個核心價值中,感知享受與品牌酷感之間的聯繫最為強烈和密切,超過自我表現和感知情感挑戰兩者的價值; 多群組的分析結果更暗示了在時裝產業裡,透過網絡遊戲去建立品牌資產在女性回應者中是與品牌酷感有強烈密切的關係; 而在男性回應者中,品牌酷感所扮演的角色則較弱。 研究的原創性/價值 本研究使我們能更深入認識沉浸遊戲品牌的慣常做法如何影響時裝品牌的整體資產。研究結果為時裝品牌經理提供了啟示,使他們明瞭時裝遊戲的合作會給消費者行為產生重要的影響

Modeling consumer switching behavior in social network games by exploring consumer cognitive dissonance and change experience

The rapid proliferation of e-service innovations has resulted in a rich availability of similar e- services from different developers or brands. This rich availability of alternative e-service providers as well as the rapid technological development has prompted users to switch from one e-service provider to an alternative more frequently (c.f. Bhattacherjee et al., 2012). Users can freely switch between different e-service products, and "switching to a competing e-service is almost as easy as downloading and installing it, or completing an online registration form to sign up for a different service" (Bhattacherjee et al., 2012, pp. 327). Therefore, Yang and Peterson (2004) warned that competition in the Internet environment is just a click away because customers appear to face only minimal barriers to switch to alternative products or services