Why Good Games Go Bad: Exploring Consumer Engagement in Video
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WHY GOOD GAMES GO BAD: EXPLORING CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT IN VIDEO GAME COMMUNITIES A Dissertation by KATHARINE CONNOR HODGDON Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Chair of Committee, Sherry J. Holladay Committee Members, W. Timothy Coombs Patrick Burkart Hart Blanton G. David Flint Head of Department, J. Kevin Barge December 2018 Major Subject: Communication Copyright 2018 Katharine Connor Hodgdon ABSTRACT This dissertation examines consumer perceptions of the engagement practices of the AAA video game industry, consumer perceptions of engagement with the AAA video game industry, and consumer perceptions of engagement with other consumers. Engagement is a strategic function encouraging organizational relationships with consumers. Though industries may develop approaches for engaging their consumers, these engagement practices may not match consumer perceptions and expectations., thus creating expectation gaps. Moreover, expectations of different consumer groups may be mutually exclusive. As industries continue to seek ways to engage consumers, engagement practices can present opportunities and risks. The dissertation consists of three separate studies. Study One examines self-identified casual, average, and hardcore video game consumers’ perceptions of ideal engagement with AAA publishers, attitudes toward publishers, the likelihood of engaging with AAA publishers, and their consumer behaviors. Study Two examines the promotional texts produced by AAA publishers and journalist critiques of three negatively-reviewed video games. These video games are Electronic Arts’ Mass Effect: Andromeda (2017) and Star Wars Battlefront II (2017), and, in collaboration with Sony Interactive Entertainment, Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky (2016). Qualitative analysis identifies issues evidenced in these texts in order to describe how engagement is enacted by publishers and how this engagement is evaluated by journalists. Finally, Study Three examines consumer-to-consumer conversations concerning the three negatively reviewed games on the social media platform Reddit. Findings for Study One indicate gamer type plays a role in how respondents engage with and perceive the video game industry as well as how they perceive engagement with other ii consumers. Study Two demonstrates how engagement strategies in promotional materials varied between the poorly-reviewed games. Journalistic critics referred to information in the promotional material to illustrate and evaluate publisher-to-consumer and consumer-to-consumer engagement. Finally, Study Three produced insights into the contents of conversations between gamers on platform Reddit. The observed conversational themes contradicted journalist descriptions and evaluations of consumer-to-consumer engagement. Overall, these three studies work together to contribute and extend engagement theory by helping researchers and practitioners alike understand how a presumably active consumer group, such as video game consumers, engage with businesses and other consumers. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to thank my committee chair, Dr. Sherry Holladay who went above and beyond her role as a doctoral advisor to take me in my final year and work with me through various obstacles. I am excited to continue to do work with you in the future and to enlighten you further about video game culture. I would also like to thank the members of my committee, Dr. Hart Blanton, Dr. Patrick Burkart, and Dr. W. Timothy Coombs of the Department of Communication and Dr. G. David Flint of the Department of Management. Your feedback and patience have been invaluable to me regarding this dissertation, and I am delighted to have you on my committee. I want to acknowledge and thank the members of the Texas A&M Department of Communication and Department of Management for providing me all the assistance, resources, and mentoring I needed to complete all the requirements toward my Ph.D. I could not have asked for a better, more accommodating faculty and staff. I would also like to acknowledge and thank all of my students during my four years of teaching, including the members of the Texas A&M Speech and Debate Team. It is quite a balancing act to conduct research and teach students at the same, but I was so lucky to have students that were attentive, supportive, and caring during the more “hectic” moments of the program. Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends who supported me throughout the process. In particular, my father Richard Hodgdon, my mother Suzanne Hodgdon, and my brother Jonathan, who put a lot of trust in me when it came to research and academic work. I would also like to thank my colleague and best friend Ryan S. Rigda, who stuck with me for six years at Central Michigan University and Texas A&M University. I do not believe I would have made it without you and I cannot wait to see the fantastic work you produce for the future. iv CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES This work was supported by a dissertation committee consisting of Professor Sherry J. Holladay of the Department of Communication, Professor(s) W. Timothy Coombs, Patrick Burkart, and Hart Blanton of the Department of Communication, and Professor G. David Flint of the Department of Management. Assistance in data analysis for Chapter II was provided by Professor Sherry J. Holladay, Mr. Yikai Zhao, and Ms. Feifei Chan. All other work conducted for the dissertation was completed by the student independently. No outside funding was received for the research and compilation of this document. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iv CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES ........................................................................... v TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... viii LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................................... x CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................ 1 Literature Review ........................................................................................................................ 6 Organization of the Dissertation ................................................................................................ 32 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 42 CHAPTER II QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT AND AAA VIDEO GAME PUBLISHERS ..................................................... 44 Overview ................................................................................................................................... 44 Method ....................................................................................................................................... 55 Results ....................................................................................................................................... 69 Discussion .................................................................................................................................. 85 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 92 CHAPTER III THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF AAA INDUSTRY PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL AND CONSUMER CRITIQUES INTERPRETED IN VIDEO GAME TRADE PUBLICATIONS ................................................. 93 Overview ................................................................................................................................... 93 vi Context ...................................................................................................................................... 97 Method ..................................................................................................................................... 108 Results ..................................................................................................................................... 117 Discussion ................................................................................................................................ 139 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 143 CHAPTER IV THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF REDDIT FORUMS FOR AAA VIDEO GAMES ....................................................................................................... 144 Overview ................................................................................................................................. 144 Method ..................................................................................................................................... 149 Results ..................................................................................................................................... 156 Discussion ...............................................................................................................................