중국 소비자들의 게이밍 커머스 이용 심리 및 행동에 관한 연구: 기본심리욕구 충족감을 중심으로

This study attempted to understand the nature of Chinese consumers' psychological and behavior of using gaming commerce and to clarify the antecedents and consequences of ‘satisfaction of basic psychological needs’ based on the Basic Psychological Need Theory. We used a mixed-method approach of qualitative research(study 1) and quantitative research(study 2). In Study 1, a total of 226 Chinese consumers who experienced using gaming commerce were asked to describe their perception and motivation for using gaming commerce, and the collected textual data were analyzed by thematic content analysis. In study 2, an online survey of 360 Chinese users of gaming commerce was conducted to verify whether the motivations identified in study 1 have a significant, positive effect on consumers' basic psychological needs satisfaction and whether basic psychological needs satisfaction leads to positive consumption behavior (i.e., continuous use intention, in-app purchase intention). As a result of study 1, the motives of Chinese consumers to use gaming commerce were classified into five dimensions: virtual reality- related experience, game-related experience, social networking-related experience, shopping- related experience, and others. With sub-thematic content analysis, liberation from daily life, avatar customization, self-expression, entertainment, self-achievement, and interaction was found to be the main motivations for using gaming commerce, with the induction ratio of 5% or above. The quantitative data collected in study 2 were analyzed using a structural equation modeling and the results are as follows. First, avatar customization, self-expression, entertainment, and interaction had a significant effect on basic psychological needs satisfaction, while the effect of liberation from daily life and self-achievement were not significant. Second, basic psychological needs satisfaction had significant effects on continuous use intention and in-app purchase intention. Lastly, continuous use intention had a significant effect on in-app purchase intention. This study has academic and practical significance in that it identified the motivations for using gaming commerce, the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, and the behavior of Chinese consumers, who have the largest scale and influence in the global game market.