Article Preview
Top1. Introduction
According to the Superdata Report (2019), the games and interactive media industry grew 13% in 2018, and games and related media earned $119.6B. As regards the amount earned for digital games, $61.3B corresponded to mobiles, $35.7B to PC, and $12.7B to consoles. As can be seen, among these platforms, the standout games are mobile games and game apps designed to be played on smartphones, tablets and other portable devices (Shchiglik et al., 2016). These mobile games have extended the fun involved in playing to any moment, place and to all kinds of segments. The ubiquitous nature of mobile devices, coupled with the relatively low prices of apps, makes almost every consumer a potential gamer (Marchand and Hennig-Thurau, 2013). Another phenomenon that contributes to the increased consumption of mobile games is the development of massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs), which allow a large number of players to access an online game environment simultaneously and to interact with one another (Badrinarayanan et al., 2014, 2015). The ever-growing popularity of MMORGs has also had a substantial impact on Internet traffic (Che and Ip, 2012).
The result is that mobile games now generate more revenue than other platforms, i.e. PCs and consoles (Newzoo, 2018). According to Apptopia (source: https://www.alfabetajuega.com/), the top five games for mobiles that generated the most revenue in 2018 were, in this order, Monster Strike, Fate/Grand Order, Pokemon GO, Candy Crush Saga, and Lords Mobile, which –with the exception of Candy Crush- did not correspond to the top five games by worldwideweb downloads: Helix Jump, Subway Surfers, PUBG Mobile, Rise Up, and Candy Crush Saga. What this does show, however, is that the free-to-play model with micro-transactions or in-App Purchases, does function very well for mobile games. Today, there are many players and many new launches and the challenge for game app designers is not just to increase the number of downloads and to attract new players (Alzahrani et al., 2017) but also to engage them in the game so that they recommend it and purchase new accessories, thereby increasing the return from each player. Yet, what is the key to getting a mobile game recommended and for existing players to recruit new ones? Why are some players likely to invest more in a game and to buy add-ons and other related products?
Prior studies have explored online gaming adoption and intention to play (Chang, 2013; Choi and Kim, 2004; Yoon et al., 2013; Park et al., 2014; Alzahrani et al., 2017), involvement in player communities (Badrinarayanan et al., 2014), and other consumption behaviours (Badrinarayanan et al., 2014, 2015). Other studies examine player characteristics (Yoon et al., 2013; Badrinarayanan et al., 2015), and game elements (Chang, 2013; Badrinarayanan et al., 2015) or interaction protocols (Abidin et al., 2007). However, the literature has thus far failed to explore in depth the diffusion of online games or the role of use and addiction in the recruitment of new players and investment in the game. The joint study of the two issues, use (and overuse) together with game design, prove vital to their success, both from the perspective of firms (who are seeking to increase the popularity of their games through players recruiting other users, as well as through volume and revenue, such as via purchase add--ons), and from the social perspective, where the aim is to ensure these players have a satisfactory experience when they play, without any harmful experiences (particularly those which may arise from overuse). The current work is pioneering in seeking to gain deeper insights into current understanding of game player purchase behaviour and, to our knowledge, is the first to explore the behaviour of mobile game users. This offers additional academic value for our research by helping to create a theoretical framework for this kind of behaviour. From the business standpoint, the importance and turnover involved in mobile games today, coupled with the anticipated growth of both, makes it necessary to study this type of player in order to design appropriate strategies.
This study aims to gain an insight into and understand how app gamers behave. More specifically, we seek to answer the following four questions:
- 1.
How does mobile game use affect its success (measured in terms of player recruitment and the purchase of add-ons)?
- 2.
What is the influence of player performance on said effect?
- 3.
How does the design of the mobile game (experiential value, perceived procedural justice or game prestige) affect its success?