Why People Continue to Play Online Games? Essay Example

2001. Developers are working hard to extend game duration by creating new games that incorporate innovative techniques since players usually pay fees based on their gameplay time. There have been numerous proposed methods and features to encourage gamers to continuously return to online games, such as enhancing game graphics or improving sound quality through novel audio techniques - HCI Laboratory, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea 6,7.

Selecting the most suitable technical features for an online game being developed can be an overwhelming and possibly impossible task. Research on game playing time can have significant implications for increasing customer loyalty in online content businesses. It is crucial for these businesses to ensure that customers repeatedly visit their sites as the number of loyal customers determines their value. If no customers are willing to visit a site again, its business value becomes worthless, regardless of its technical or managerial assets. Online games have been successful in maintaining a high level of customer loyalty, even to the point of addiction. Therefore, studying why people continually play the same online game and the design features that contribute to this loyalty can be applied to increase customer loyalty in other online content businesses, such as distance learning. Despite the extensive potential of online games and the various suggested techniques, only a minority of studies have explored the important techniques that influence the usage of online games.

There are three groups of limitations in previous studies on online games. The first group includes studies that lack a conceptual framework based on a theoretical foundation. This raises questions about the comprehensiveness of their coverage of important game design factors and whether they include unnecessary design

factors. The second group consists of studies that do not provide empirical validation for their arguments.

Therefore, it is uncertain whether the suggested design factors truly impact log-on time for gameplay. Previous research has not established a connection between conceptual factors and actual design features. As a result, while we may be aware of the significant concepts in increasing game playtime, implementing these concepts into practical design features for online games remains unknown. Consequently, numerous online games have been created using costly techniques, yet only a handful have managed to gain customer approval.

The aim of this research is to identify crucial elements for enhancing customer loyalty in online games. To accomplish this objective, we conducted two successive studies. In the initial study, we developed a theoretical framework for customer loyalty in online games and validated it through a extensive survey, which provided insights into the reasons why individuals persisted in playing specific online games. In the subsequent study, we analyzed all the online games mentioned by the survey participants in the first study and pinpointed the design characteristics that were strongly associated with the conceptual factors established in the initial study.

The text presents preliminary findings on increasing customer loyalty for online content. It includes sections on the conceptual model of repeated usage of online games, a large-scale survey and its results, a technical analysis of existing online games, as well as implications and limitations of the study results. The central theme is customer loyalty and its relationship to optimal experience in playing specific online games.

Customer loyalty, according to the marketing definition, refers to customers repeatedly using a specific company, store, or product. In marketing research, this

concept is employed to gauge the likelihood of customers continuing to utilize the same products or services. Studies have indicated that when individuals harbor strong loyalty towards their present service or product, they tend to remain devoted even in the face of new alternatives.