research-article

Segmenting online gamers by motivation

Author:

Fan-Chen TsengAuthors Info & Claims

Expert Systems with Applications: An International Journal, Volume 38, Issue 6

Pages 7693 - 7697

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2010.12.142

Published: 01 June 2011 Publication History

Abstract

Research highlights This study identifies two underlying motivational factors for playing online games: (1) the need for exploration, and (2) the need for aggression. From these two factors, online gamers are clustered into three segments: (1) the aggressive gamers, (2) the social gamers, and (3) the inactive gamers. Significant differences exist in consumer behaviors across different segments of online gamer. Online games are becoming one of the most profitable online entertainment businesses. Nevertheless, online game players may have diverse motivations for playing online games, which in turn influence their behaviors and preferences in playing online games. Through factor analysis for dimensionality reduction, this study identifies two underlying motivational factors: (1) the need for exploration, and (2) the need for aggression. From these two factors, this study clusters online gamers into three segments: (1) the aggressive gamers, (2) the social gamers, and (3) the inactive gamers. The aggressive gamers score highest on both factors. The social gamers score high on the first factor, but score lowest on the second factor. The inactive gamers score lowest on the first factor, and score in the middle on the second factor. Significant differences exist in consumer behaviors across different segments of online gamers. Theoretical supports for the two motivational factors are discussed, and managerial implications for online game service firms are provided.

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Cited By

Lang EYoung REger MCardona-Rivera R(2023)MULTISTYLEProceedings of the Nineteenth AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Digital Entertainment10.1609/aiide.v19i1.27505(97-106)Online publication date: 8-Oct-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1609/aiide.v19i1.27505
Wang LLowry PLuo XLi H(2023)Moving Consumers from Free to Fee in Platform-Based MarketsInformation Systems Research10.1287/isre.2022.112734:1(275-296)Online publication date: 1-Mar-2023
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Klézl VKelly S(2022)Negativists, enthusiasts and others: a typology of players in free-to-play gamesMultimedia Tools and Applications10.1007/s11042-022-13647-982:5(7939-7960)Online publication date: 16-Aug-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s11042-022-13647-9
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Segmenting online gamers by motivation

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cover image Expert Systems with Applications: An International Journal

Expert Systems with Applications: An International Journal Volume 38, Issue 6

June, 2011

1507 pages

ISSN:0957-4174

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Copyright © Elsevier Ltd.

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Pergamon Press, Inc.

United States

Publication History

Published: 01 June 2011

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Cited By

Lang EYoung REger MCardona-Rivera R(2023)MULTISTYLEProceedings of the Nineteenth AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Digital Entertainment10.1609/aiide.v19i1.27505(97-106)Online publication date: 8-Oct-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1609/aiide.v19i1.27505
Wang LLowry PLuo XLi H(2023)Moving Consumers from Free to Fee in Platform-Based MarketsInformation Systems Research10.1287/isre.2022.112734:1(275-296)Online publication date: 1-Mar-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1287/isre.2022.1127
Klézl VKelly S(2022)Negativists, enthusiasts and others: a typology of players in free-to-play gamesMultimedia Tools and Applications10.1007/s11042-022-13647-982:5(7939-7960)Online publication date: 16-Aug-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s11042-022-13647-9
Martin CBaumeister JCunningham AVon Itzstein G(2021)The Spheres of Player MotivationExtended Abstracts of the 2021 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play10.1145/3450337.3483491(140-145)Online publication date: 15-Oct-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3450337.3483491
Holm SKaakinen J(2021)Game Dynamics Preferences Are Connected with Experiences Derived from First-Person Shooters2021 IEEE Conference on Games (CoG)10.1109/CoG52621.2021.9619138(1-8)Online publication date: 17-Aug-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1109/CoG52621.2021.9619138
Su YBacklund PEngström H(2021)Comprehensive review and classification of game analyticsService Oriented Computing and Applications10.1007/s11761-020-00303-z15:2(141-156)Online publication date: 1-Jun-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s11761-020-00303-z
Pfau JMalaka RArnedo JNacke LVanden Abeele VToups Dugas P(2019)Can You Rely on Human Computation?Extended Abstracts of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play Companion Extended Abstracts10.1145/3341215.3356297(605-610)Online publication date: 17-Oct-2019
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3341215.3356297
Chandra ABorbora ZKumaraguru PSrivastava J(2019)Finding your social spaceProceedings of the 2019 IEEE/ACM International Conference on Advances in Social Networks Analysis and Mining10.1145/3341161.3345333(1072-1080)Online publication date: 27-Aug-2019
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3341161.3345333
Holm SBrewster SFitzpatrick GCox AKostakos V(2019)Player Types of GamersExtended Abstracts of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3290607.3299084(1-6)Online publication date: 2-May-2019
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3290607.3299084
Hrabec O(2017)Categorizing Play Styles in Competitive GamingInternational Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations10.4018/IJGCMS.20171001049:4(62-88)Online publication date: 1-Oct-2017
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.4018/IJGCMS.2017100104
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