Affective value of game items: a mood management and selective exposure approach

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between game items and mood management to show the affective value of game items. Specifically, the study examines the impact of interaction between two negative mood states (stress vs boredom) and types of game items (functional vs decorative) on the purchasing intention of game items. Design/methodology/approach: Two experiments were conducted to predict the outcomes of using game items. Findings: Game users effectively manage their level of arousal and mood valence using game items. The selective exposure theory provides additional understanding of different purchasing behaviors, suggesting that stressed users are more likely to purchase decorative items while bored users purchase functional items to manage their mood. Research limitations/implications: The study results show the affective role of game items in mood management. While previous studies focused on the cognitive and functional aspects of purchasing game items, this study extends the value of game items as augmented products. Practical implications: When launching new games, companies should provide game users free game items for mood management. In addition, to increase intervention potential and behavioral affinity, marketers need to develop and launch more game item types. Originality/value: This study extends the understanding of affective value of game items by applying mood management and selective exposure theories to explain the purchase intention of game items.