影響免費線上遊戲玩家購買虛擬商品因素探討

Why Free Online-Game Players Purchase Virtual Items

劉楚瑜(Chu-Yu Liu)

指導教授 ： 卓美玲

淡江大學/文學院/資訊傳播學系碩士班/碩士(2009年)

https://doi.org/10.6846/TKU.2009.00333

摘要

在經濟不景氣的年代中，線上遊戲卻反而替遊戲產業創造更高的商機，宅經濟的發燒也讓更多的免費線上遊戲如雨後春筍般出現。因此如何吸引玩家進來玩，並且購買遊戲中的虛擬商品，也就成為遊戲公司的行銷目的。

本研究以三大研究主軸為主，分別為Guo& Barnes(2007)提出玩家花錢購買虛擬商品的因素，從中修正為「遊戲內容與品質」、「關鍵大眾」、「社會影響」、「遊戲社群」、「知覺愉悅」、「角色能力與特徵」、「績效與努力期望」七項購買因素；而在Abercrombie& Longhurst(1998)提出的「景觀/表演典範」則提出「想像」、「自戀」、「表演」以及Sheth, et al.,(1991)所提出的五大價值性類型「功能性價值」、「條件性價值」、「社會性價值」、「情感性價值」、「嘗新性價值」，再以深度訪談的方式，來訪問不同族群的玩家，購買虛擬商品上是否具有相同或相異之處。

經由研究結果發現，每一位受訪者對於購買因素的看法，在「遊戲內容與品質」、「角色特徵與能力」、「知覺愉悅」等三方面具一致性看法，這也和本研究問題二：購買因素和景觀/表演典範有密切關聯，透過遊戲內容所提供的道具給予角色使用時，可以透過表演的方式，呈現給自己和其他玩家來看，進而達成知覺愉悅感受，所以這方面的虛擬商品具有「功能性價值」、「社會性價值」以及「情感性價值」；而在相異看法方面，購買因素還會因個人背景因素而影響他們對虛擬商品的認知。例如女性受訪者G、H除了在「遊戲社群」之外，皆有相同看法。其最主要的原因在於兩人之間花錢的目的不同，如女性受訪者G提到主要以現實的朋友、同學、同事為主。因此對於遊戲社群的購買因素表示贊同；而女性受訪者H則在訪談的時候，提到自己是家庭主婦，主要是因為沒事做才會在家裡面玩線上遊戲和花錢，所以對遊戲社群方面認為一點也沒有影響。而在虛擬商品的類型與購買因素方面則發現，「遊戲內容和品值」、「角色能力與特徵」、「知覺愉悅」會影響到所有的購買因素、而這三項因素也和前面所提到的研究問題二：購買因素和景觀/表演典範之關聯性，具有一致看法。另外，在虛擬商品類型與價值關聯性方面發現，福袋主要以「功能性」、「社會性」、「嘗新性」等價值為主；武器和裝備以「功能性」、「社會性」為主；時裝與寵物和坐騎方面都以「社會性」、「情感性」、「嘗新性」為主；最後，消耗品以「功能性」為主。

同時本研究也發現虛擬商品具有其它價值性，例如，虛擬和現實價值差異、金錢轉換上的價值、男和女價值等三方面不同價值性。此外本研究也發現玩家進入遊戲的因素和購買虛擬商品的因素具有不同。例如，關鍵大眾是玩家進入遊戲時考量的因素；但受訪者們談到購買虛擬商品時卻不是主要的因素。由此可知，玩家在進入遊戲和購買虛擬商品上，具有不同的動機與目的。

關鍵字

免費線上遊戲 ； 虛擬商品 ； 購買因素 ； 價值性

並列摘要

In the era of economic downturn, online games instead create more business opportunities for the game company. The boost of stay-at-home economy makes more free online games appear like mushrooms. Therefore, how to attract players to join the games and to spend money on purchasing virtual items have become the company's marketing purposes.

The study combines three main parts: Guo & Barnes (2007) proposed the factors of players’ motivations and purposes to purchase virtual items which are revised to seven factors: “Game Content and Quality” “Critical Mass” “Social Influence” “Game Community” “Perceived Enjoyment” “Character Competence” “Performance Expectancy and Effort Expectancy” ; Abercrombie & Longhurst (1998) proposed " Spectacle/ Performance Paradigm " on “Imagination” “Narcissism” “Performance” ,and Sheth, et al., (1991) proposed five components of consumer values on “Functional Value” “Conditional Value” “Social Value” “Emotional Value” “Epistemic Value.” By using the method of depth interview, we talk to different types of players and try to find out if there are differences between them on purchasing virtual items.

According to the study, each interviewee has the same consistency of view of purchase factors on “Game Content and Quality” “Character Competence” “Perceived Enjoyment,” which is also related to the second question of the research: the factors of the purchase and Spectacle/ Performance Paradigm are closely related. Through the game items provided for the characters, the players are able to show to themselves or to other players by performance, and further more to fulfill their perceived enjoyment. So these kinds of virtual items have “Functional Value” “Social Value” and “Emotional Value”; in the different views, the factors of the purchase will influence the perception of virtual items because of the different personal background. For example, the female interviewee G, H have the same opinion except on “Game Community.” The main reason is they have different purposes on spending money. The female interviewee G mentions that she focuses on friends, classmates, and colleagues in reality. Therefore she agrees with purchase factors of the game community; the female interviewee H, who is a housewife, mentions that she plays online games and spends money on them just because she has nothing to do at home, so she thinks the game community doesn’t affect her. On field of the types of virtual items and purchase factors, we find “Game Content and Quality” “Character Competence” “Perceived Enjoyment” will influence all the purchase factors, which is also in agreement on the second research question mentioned: the relevance of purchase factors and Spectacle/ Performance Paradigm. In addition, on the relevance of virtual items types and values, we find lucky envelopes mainly consist of “Functional” “Social” “Epistemic” values; weapons and instruments mainly consist of “Functional” and “Social” values; costumes and pets mainly consist of “Functional” “Emotional” “Epistemic” values; while consumables consist of “Functional” value.

Meanwhile the study also concludes that virtual items have other three values such as the different values between virtual world and reality, the values of money exchange, and values of different points of views between males and females. Moreover, the study concludes the factors of players’ entering games and purchasing virtual items are varied. For example, critical mass is the key factor when players begin to play the game; but the interviewees don’t think that is the main factor when buying virtual items. To sum up, when players begin to play games and purchase virtual items, they have different motivations and purposes.

並列關鍵字

Free Online-Game ； Virtual Items ； the factors of purchase ； value

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