Behavioral dedication, constraint or obligation? A tripartite model of active participation in multiplayer online battle arena game community
Abstract
Purpose
Active participation is critical to the survival and development of the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game community. However, this issue has not received much attention in the information systems literature. To address this issue, we develop a tripartite model that accounts for the roles of behavioral dedication, constraint, obligation mechanisms on active participation in the MOBA community.
Design/methodology/approach
The research model is empirically validated by online survey data among 971 users of a popular MOBA community.
Findings
The results show that perceived enjoyment, perceived escapism, and affective commitment are key behavioral dedication factors, which further promote active participation in the MOBA community. In addition, past investment, self-efficacy for change, and calculative commitment are important behavioral constraint factors, which ultimately influence active participation in the MOBA community. Finally, subjective norm, group norm, social identity, and normative commitment are influential behavioral obligation factors, which in turn facilitate active participation in the MOBA community.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of active participation in the MOBA community and offers practical guidance for promoting active participation in the community.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the senior editor and the anonymous reviewers who contributed insightful and constructive suggestions to improve the paper. The work described in this paper was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project Nos. 72001168, 72371197, 72002167, 72001170, and 72372130) and the Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China (Project No. 2020M673341).
Citation
Gong, X., Xiao, Z., Liu, X. and Lee, M.K.O. (2024), "Behavioral dedication, constraint or obligation? A tripartite model of active participation in multiplayer online battle arena game community", Information Technology & People, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-08-2020-0575
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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