Consumer behavior in online game communities: A motivational factor perspective

The concept of online communities has been used to improve customers' loyalty in recent years. While studies on transaction community such as online auction have received more attention in the literature, entertainment community such as online game has seldom been addressed. This study applies the theory of reasoned action (TRA) and modifies the technology acceptance model (TAM) to propose a research model. An empirical study involving 356 subjects was conducted to test this model. The results indicate that customer loyalty is influenced by perceived enjoyment, social norms and preference. Perceived cohesion has an indirect impact on loyalty. In addition, the finding's practical implication suggests that community managers must overcome the problems users encounter, including suffering from an unstable system, malicious players and grief players. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.