Title: The role of player innovativeness in adopting new online games: bidimensional and hierarchical perspectives

Authors: Edward Shih-Tse Wang

Addresses: National Chung Hsing University, 250, Kuo Kuang Rd., Taichung 402, Taiwan

Abstract: Consumer innovativeness affects how consumers evaluate new products; however, the effect of global and domain-specific innovativeness on willingness to play a new online game remains unclear. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of openness to experience (global innovativeness) and variety-seeking behaviour in online gaming (domain-specific innovativeness) on intention to play new online games by applying bidimensional and hierarchical perspectives. In this study, 418 undergraduate students with online gaming experience were surveyed and the response data were analysed using a structural equation modelling technique. The findings indicate that global innovativeness directly influences intention to play new online games, although the relationship is mediated by domain-specific innovativeness. Thus, online game firms can effectively attract new online game players by considering their openness to experience and variety-seeking behaviour as market segmentation variables.

Keywords: openness to experience; variety-seeking behaviour; online gaming; behavioural intention; player innovativeness; new online games; new products; structural equation modelling; SEM; global innovativeness; willingness to play; domain-specific innovativeness; market segmentation; innovation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTMKT.2015.070654

International Journal of Technology Marketing, 2015 Vol.10 No.3, pp.236 - 247

Received: 09 Apr 2014
Accepted: 03 Nov 2014

Published online: 16 Jul 2015 *

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