Yongjin Hwang, Keshav Gupta and Deokkyung Ock
Esports game developers are incorporating interactive virtual shopping (IVS) experiences into their products to facilitate consumer–brand interactions. Despite the potential…
Abstract
Purpose
Esports game developers are incorporating interactive virtual shopping (IVS) experiences into their products to facilitate consumer–brand interactions. Despite the potential influence of IVS, existing research lacks an understanding of its impact on consumers’ overall affect– particularly game enjoyment, a critical factor in sustaining engagement with esports products – and on attitudinal change toward brands in the real world.
Design/methodology/approach
An experiment was designed to examine the impact of shopping in the virtually interactive esports marketplace on game enjoyment. Mediating effects of positive change in brand attitude, perceived realism and character attachment and the moderating effect of self-avatar gender congruity were investigated using SPSS PROCESS Macro. Additionally, the impact of brand popularity on the relationship between IVS and brand attitude was examined using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).
Findings
There was a positive impact of IVS on game enjoyment, mediated by a positive change in brand attitude, perceived realism and character attachment. Self-avatar gender congruity moderated the mediation effect of perceived realism. Notably, less popular brands exhibited a greater change in brand attitude compared to more popular brands.
Originality/value
The findings add to the body of literature on esports, particularly in investigating the role of IVS within the esports virtual world and advancing research on cognitive appraisal theory. This study informs practitioners in the esports industry about the value of creating interactive virtual marketplaces, as they serve to benefit sponsoring brands and enhance game enjoyment for players.
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Yongjin Hwang, Nicholas Masafumi Watanabe and Mark Nagel
This study aims to examine the impacts of brand congruity of in-game brand placement on esports consumers' implicit and explicit memory.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the impacts of brand congruity of in-game brand placement on esports consumers' implicit and explicit memory.
Design/methodology/approach
A 2 × 2 × 2 experimental design (N = 224) was used with an automobile racing game, NASCAR Heat 5. A series of statistical analyses, including MANOVA and logistic regressions, was conducted to test the proposed hypotheses.
Findings
The results revealed that ads on virtual billboards in the video game primed participants to create an implicit memory. Also, incongruent brands that were not very familiar to gamers provided greater impact than congruent brands.
Originality/value
This research is the first to test both implicit and explicit memory and provide practical evidence for the possibility of implicit memory building in the esports context. In addition, the current study also examined the impact of congruity to answer the previously inconsistent results.
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Deokkyung Ock and Yongjin Hwang
The current study aims to examine esports consumers' social needs (inclusion, affection and control) as antecedents of positive eWOM intention. Additionally, the moderating…
Abstract
Purpose
The current study aims to examine esports consumers' social needs (inclusion, affection and control) as antecedents of positive eWOM intention. Additionally, the moderating effects of game playing type (individual-based competition vs. team-based competition) were tested to determine whether the inherent socializing opportunities provided by each game playing type have different effects on the relationship between social needs and eWOM communication of esports consumers.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional survey design was applied to 387 responses collected from an online survey platform. After checking several assumptions, a series of regression analyses were performed to test the suggested hypotheses.
Findings
The results revealed that the needs for inclusion, affection and control were positively associated with eWOM intention. Furthermore, the relationships between inclusion and eWOM intention and affection and eWOM intention were moderated by game playing type.
Originality/value
The current study extended the fundamental interpersonal relations orientation theory from conventional interpersonal relationships to interpersonal communication in online platforms. This research also suggested that eWOM communication in esports could be supplemental social opportunities, especially for individual-based competition games.