Emotional and Experiential Aspects of Video Game Consumption: A Multidimensional Outlook

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to know Emotional and Experiential Aspects of Video Game Consumption through a Multidimensional approach. This study will help us to know what Emotional and Experiential Aspects effects player’s video gaming behaviour. The purpose is to help Pakistani MOBA genre game developer to make more intriguing MOBA games to attract masses. Moreover the aim of this study is to help marketers to highlight these aspects in their marketing strategies, thereby capturing the attention of potential players and enticing them to try their games. Previous studies have predominantly focused on examining consumers' psychological aspects of Video Game Consumption, which refers to the level of pleasure, emotional satisfaction, and enjoyment derived from playing video games, from a single perspective. However, considering the increasing variety of technology-driven elements in gaming that contribute to emotional and experiential aspects of video game consumption (such as aesthetics, competition, and social interactions), realising that this narrow viewpoint is outdated. Consequently, proposed a comprehensive, multi-dimensional understanding of gamers' sensory experience, drawing insights from ‘hedonic consumption theory’ and the ‘theory of planned behaviour’. By surveying 260 Pakistani DOTA2 gamers through Pakistani DOTA2 Discord channels and in-game chatrooms we applied purposive sampling. My findings confirm that Fantasy, Role Projection, Emotional Involvement and Enjoyments influence gamers' attitudes towards video games, subsequently affecting their intentions and behaviours related to gaming. I further discovered that Escapism, Arousal and Sensory Experience does not have an effect on player’s video gaming intent. Finally, the study concluded by discussing the implications that arise from our research.