Consumer motivation in e-sports: Exploration of one segment of the virtual experience economy

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to determine consumer behaviour in electronic sports in one segment of the virtual experience economy. Different from online games, electronic sports are becoming more and more accepted by social groups, gradually forming a unique economic model. This study discusses the main motivations of esports players or amateurs interested in esports. In esports, esports players build relationships with teammates through participation, training, and competition, and enjoy the satisfaction of winning in the virtual world. This paper collected effective data through literature review, relevant interviews and questionnaires, verified relevant hypotheses, and analyzed the relationship between each variable and consumption motivation. The results show that the influence of e-sports consumption motivation comes from the dependence on the virtual economy, the habit of e-sports, the interest in competition and the payment. According to this study on factors related to consumption motivation, consumption experience is the most important factor for consumers' consumption motivation, that is, players can have good e-sports experience both psychologically and physically. Therefore, in the e-sports market under the virtual economy, consumers with different motivations have different consumption behaviors. This research can attract the interest of the e-sports generation, and it can also attract marketers who are engaged and learning about the e-sports market and help them better understand and grasp the business models or trends in the e-sports market.