Factors Affecting Consumer Loyalty in Role-Playing and Life-Simulation Video Games

Due to the amassed availability of personal computer systems and growing popularity of online video games, both practitioners and researchers have drawn their focus on understanding consumer online behavior. Although several studies have looked at key factors that lead to customer loyalty, the disparities between those factors for different game genres remains unexplored. Thus, this study aims to identify and contrast the critical factors for customer loyalty for two game genres, life-simulation and role-playing games. To achieve that goal, this study empirically tests the theoretical model of determinants of game loyalty through performing structural equation modeling analysis for two types of games. The stated research hypotheses are tested by using the primary data obtained from two survey questionnaires, that were shared among game communities and social networks. Overall, the results indicate the following: 1) The most important predictors of customer loyalty for RPGs are social norms, intention to play and online game communities are, whereas for LSG the only significant effect is social norms and intention to play; 2) Game enjoyment and social norms have positive impact on intention to play both examined game genres; 3) Game enjoyment have important indirect effect on game loyalty for both genres; 4) Game technology factors significantly influence game enjoyment of both game genres.