PURCHASE RELUCTANCE OF FEMALE CONSUMERS IN VIDEO GAMES MARKET: A CASE STUDY A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF ÇANKAYA UNIVERSITY BY S. TUBA BĠRDAL IN THE PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT JULY 2010 Title of the Thesis: Purchase Reluctance of Female Consumers in Video Games Market: A Case Study Submitted by S. Tuba Birdal Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences, Çankaya University Prof. Dr. Taner ALTUNOK Director I certify that thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science Prof. Dr. Hasan IĢın DENER Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Prof. Dr. Hasan IĢın DENER Supervisor Examination Date: 20.07.2010 Examining Committee Members: Prof. Dr. BahtıĢen KAVAK (Hacettepe Univ.) Prof. Dr. Hasan IĢın DENER (Çankaya Univ.) Asst. Prof. Dr. Ömer YURTSEVEN (Çankaya Univ.) STATEMENT OF NON-PLAGIARISM I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last Name : S. Tuba Birdal Signature : Date : iii ABSTRACT PURCHASE RELUCTANCE OF FEMALE CONSUMERS IN VIDEO GAMES MARKET: A CASE STUDY Birdal, Sevim Tuba M.Sc., Management Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Hasan IĢın Dener July 2010, 204 pages Today, video games market is one of the biggest and fast growing entertainment industry. The market is projected to be worth of $ 68 trillion in 2012. However, this market is unable to attract the attention of female consumers who generally spend much more than male consumers. The purpose of this study is to examine the reluctance of female customers to spend money on video games in terms of consumer behaviour and marketing. The empirical study was carried out at Çankaya, Atılım and Ankara Universities in Ankara with the participation of 334 female college students. The data were obtained by means of a survey. In the survey, the marketing mix as product, place, promotion and price was examined in its relationships with respect to factors such as income, life style, residence, experience with similar products, product purchase and use, information channels of technological products for knowledge and purchasing, priorities of spending, price perception, market place and past experience. The results are used for providing a market profile of young women in Turkey, suggestions on market structure and marketing efforts. iv Keywords: Video Games Market, Female Consumer, Consumer Behaviour, Marketing, Purchase v ÖZ VĠDEO OYUN PAZARINDA KADIN TÜKETĠCĠLERĠN SATIN ALMA ĠSTEKSĠZLĠĞĠ: DURUM ÇALIġMASI Birdal, Sevim Tuba Yüksek Lisans, ĠĢletme Anabilim Dalı Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Hasan IĢın Dener Temmuz 2010, 204 sayfa Günümüzde video oyun pazarı eğlence sektörünün en büyük ve büyümeye hızla devam eden pazarlarından biridir. Video oyun pazarının 2012 yılında 68 trilyon dolar olması öngörülmektedir. Fakat bu pazar, erkek tüketicilere göregenellikle çok daha fazla para harcayan kadın tüketicilerin ilgisini çekememektedir. Bu çalıĢmanın amacı, kadın tüketicilerin video oyun satın alma konusundaki isteksizliklerini tüketici davranıĢı ve pazarlama açısından incelemektir. Ampirik olan bu çalıĢma, 334 kadın üniversite öğrencisinin katılımıyla, Ankara‟da bulunan Çankaya, Atılım ve Ankara üniversitelerinde gerçekleĢtirilmiĢtir. Veriler anket yoluyla elde edilmiĢtir. Ankette ürün, yer, promosyon ve fiyat olarak ele alınan pazarlama karması; gelir, yaĢam biçimi, yerleĢim, benzer ürünlerle ilgili deneyim, ürün satın alma ve kullanma, teknolojik ürünler hakkında bilgi toplarken ve satın alırken baĢvurulan bilgi kaynakları, harcama öncelikleri, fiyat algısı, pazar yeri, geçmiĢteki deneyimler gibi etmenlerle olan iliĢkileri bakımından incelenmiĢtir. Ortaya çıkan sonuçlar, Türkiyedeki genç kadın pazar profilinin çıkarılması, pazar yapısı ve pazarlama çalıĢmaları üzerine öneriler getirilmesi için kullanılmıĢtır. vi Anahtar Kelimeler: Video Oyun Pazarı, Kadın Tüketici, Tüketici DavranıĢı, Pazarlama, Satın Alma vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A thesis study requires time, support and encouragement. I would like to thank people who have taken a part in this process. First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Prof. Dr. Hasan IĢın Dener for his time and efforts. 334 young women from numerous departments at Çankaya, Atılım and Ankara Universities offered their time and experiences for this study. I would not collect information without their attendance. I appreciate that they allow me complete my project with their participation. My academic study has been greatly supported by my family whom I thank for their understanding and tolerance. Throughout writing my thesis, I owe much to my dearest cousins: Ġlayda Kılıç, Yağmur Evin and Tolga Güzeloğlu for their assistance. Finally, I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my husband, Ahmet Birdal who has the greatest share in my life. This piece of work would not be completed without countless hours of his support, encouragement and concern. Thank you for your inspiration and accompany in every phase of my life. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF NON PLAGIARISM ............................................................... iii ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... iv ÖZ .......................................................................................................................... vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................... viii TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................... ix LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................ xv LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................ xvii CHAPTERS: 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1 1.1. Problem Definition ........................................................................................ 1 1.2. Organization of the Thesis ............................................................................ 2 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ON VIDEO GAMES ................................................. 5 2.1. Towards the Question of the Problem ........................................................... 5 2.2. On the Treatment of Research Task .............................................................. 7 2.3. Definitions of the Terms Related with Video Games ................................... 8 2.4. Video Game Genres .................................................................................... 12 2.5. History of Video Games ............................................................................. 18 2.5.1. The Starting Efforts ........................................................................... 19 2.5.2. 1970‟s ................................................................................................ 20 2.5.3. 1980‟s ................................................................................................ 23 ix 2.5.4. The Developments Until 1990‟s Revisited ....................................... 28 2.5.5. 1990‟s ................................................................................................ 29 2.5.6. The Recent Period of 2000‟s ............................................................. 37 2.6. Video Games Industry................................................................................. 44 2.7. Video Game Products ................................................................................. 50 2.7.1. Video Game Consoles and Console Manufacturers......................... 50 2.7.1.1. Nintendo ............................................................................. 51 2.7.1.2. Sony ................................................................................... 56 2.7.1.3. Microsoft ............................................................................ 59 2.7.1.4. PC ....................................................................................... 63 2.7.2. Video Game Developers (Software Market).................................... 64 2.7.2.1. Costs and Finance .............................................................. 64 2.7.2.2. Research and Development (R&D) ................................... 65 2.7.2.3. Risk Reduction ................................................................... 66 2.7.3. Video Game Publishers .................................................................... 67 2.7.3.1. The Situation of Significant Companies ............................ 68 2.7.3.1.1. Electronic Arts (EA) ......................................... 68 2.7.3.1.2. Activision Blizzard............................................ 70 2.7.3.1.3. Take-Two Interactive Software......................... 72 2.7.3.1.4. Ubisoft ............................................................... 73 2.7.3.1.5. Toy Head-Quarters (THQ) ................................ 74 2.7.3.1.6. Namco Bandai ................................................... 74 2.7.3.1.7. Konami .............................................................