ABSTRACT

Contemporary digital technologies have facilitated practices related to games whereby users often produce and consume content for free. To date, research into consumer interactions has largely focused on in-game factors, however, the intention to both play the game and to make in-game purchases are influenced by outside factors, including game streams and game-centred communities. In particular, the growth of competitive gaming, known as esports, offers a new channel for consumer engagement. This research explores the potential for esports to be a significant factor in understanding both intentions to play and spend money on games. Our study draws from Motivations Scale of Sports Consumption to empirically investigate the relationship between esports spectating motivations and game consumption: Watching Intention, Gaming Intention, and Purchasing Intention. This survey uses structural equation modelling (SEM) to analyse data collected from a sample of video game players (n = 194). This research contributes empirical evidence of the relationship between esports spectating and game consumption, with the relationship between Watching Intention and Gaming Intention found to be particularly strong. Finally, while the MSSC is an adequate measure for esports spectating, additional aspects specific to esports require further investigation, consequently, there may be more optimal measures which can be developed.

摘要

当代数字技术促进了与游戏相关的实践，用户经常免费制作和消费内容。迄今为止，对消费者互动的研究主要集中在游戏内因素上，然而，玩游戏和进行游戏内购买的意图都受到外部因素的影响，包括游戏流和以游戏为中心的社区。特别是，被称为电子竞技的竞技游戏的发展为消费者参与提供了新渠道。这项研究探索了电子竞技成为理解玩游戏和花钱玩游戏的意图的重要因素的潜力。我们的研究借鉴了体育消费动机量表来实证研究电子竞技观看动机与游戏消费之间的关系：观看意图、游戏意图、和购买意向。这项调查使用结构方程模型 (SEM) 来分析从视频游戏玩家样本中收集的数据 (n  = 194)。这项研究为电子竞技观看和游戏消费之间的关系提供了经验证据，其中观看意图和游戏意图之间的关系被发现特别强。最后，虽然 MSSC 是电子竞技观看的充分衡量标准，但电子竞技特有的其他方面需要进一步调查，因此，可能会有更优化的衡量标准可以开发。