近年來大型線上多人角色扮演遊戲成為國內線上遊戲市場主流,但過去對於線上遊戲玩家研究卻大多著重於遊戲虛擬社群間的傳播議題,而忽略了線上遊戲仍就是遊戲的本質。本研究引入「核心玩家」概念,從遊戲理論與遊戲動機研究出發,以深度訪談法與紮根理論研究分析,探討大型線上多人角色扮演遊戲中核心玩家持續且深入遊戲之動機與行為。研究結果發現,核心玩家具有渴望創造特色或延伸遊戲內容、發展科學化的遊戲策略、追求特殊玩家地位與評價、遊戲成為思考實踐對象與主動分享回饋等五項特殊遊戲行為,並且促使核心玩家持續且深入進行遊戲。本研究亦透過核心玩家概念擷取出善用遊戲內容誘發主動參與、提供玩家平台激發競爭挑戰與經營核心玩家擴增遊戲群體等三項未來線上遊戲設計建議。
Massively multiplayer online roleplaying game(MMORPG) is the mainstream in the online game market in years. Most studies on online gamer’s participation focus on communication issues of virtual community. However, these studies ignore the essence of game in the online game. This study focus on the concept about "hardcore gamer", adopting the methods of Grounded Theory and in-depth interview to analyze the participation and behavior about hardcore gamer of MMORPG. According the result, this study indicates that hardcore gamer aspire to create or extend the content of online game, developing the technical solution of problems in the online game, hankering the great value in the online game community, thinking and acting in the online game, sharing information and making feedback actively. Finally, this study advices that taking the content of game well to make gamers participating actively, supplying the space for gamers to compete, and taking the hardcore gamer to hold and broaden the community of MMORPG gamer.