Consumer behavior in online game communities: A motivational factor perspective

Chin-Lung Hsua, , and Hsi-Peng Lub [Author vitae]

aDepartment of Information Management, Da-Yeh University, 112 Shan-Jiau Road, Da-Tsuen, Changhua, Taiwan, ROC
bDepartment of Information Management, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC



Available online 8 November 2005.



AbstractThe 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.


Keywords: Online games; Community; Loyalty; TRA; TAM