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How does gender swapping impact online gamer loyalty? The perspective of interdependence theory

Fan-Chen Tseng (Department of Multimedia and M-Commerce, Kainan University, Taoyuan, Taiwan)
Ching-Ter Chang (Graduate Institute of Business and Management, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan) (Department of Thoracic Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan)
Hsing-Chen Lee (Graduate Institute of Business and Management, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan)
Ching-I Teng (Graduate Institute of Business and Management, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan) (Department of Rehabilitation, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan) (Department of Business and Management, Ming Chi University of Technology, Taishan, Taiwan)

Online Information Review

ISSN: 1468-4527

Article publication date: 15 August 2018

Issue publication date: 21 August 2018

553

Abstract

Purpose

Gender swapping – when gamers choose avatars of the opposite gender to their own – is a common feature of online gaming behavior, and recent studies have explored the reasons for it. However, no study has yet examined the role gender swapping plays in determining gamers’ continual engagement with communication via online games, i.e., online gamer loyalty. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine this issue and develop hypotheses based on interdependence theory in the online gaming context.

Design/methodology/approach

Responses from a survey of 255 online gamers were used for the analysis.

Findings

Analytical results using structural equation modeling indicate that gender-swapping behavior is negatively related to social intelligence, which in turn is negatively related to network convergence (the extent of sharing a common social circle), thus contributing to relational switching costs and online gamer loyalty.

Originality/value

This study is the first to examine how gender swapping affects online gamer loyalty.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (MOST 103-2410-H-182-011-MY3) and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (BMRP644) for financial support.

Citation

Tseng, F.-C., Chang, C.-T., Lee, H.-C. and Teng, C.-I. (2018), "How does gender swapping impact online gamer loyalty? The perspective of interdependence theory", Online Information Review, Vol. 42 No. 5, pp. 647-662. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-08-2016-0230

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

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