Impact of avatar identification on online gamer loyalty: Perspectives of social identity and social capital theories

Online games have created significant opportunities for electronic commerce managers. The degree to which online gamers regard their avatars-their gaming representations-as themselves is known to be influential to gamers' behavior but little is known about how such identification impacts online gamer loyalty (i.e., gamers' continued intention to play). This study filled this gap by developing its research framework from the perspective of the social identity theory and the social capital theory. Responses from 1384 online gamers were collected, and structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses. The analytical results indicate that avatar identification (the degree to which users regard avatars as themselves) is positively related to participation in gaming communities and social presence (the degree of awareness of other persons and interpersonal relationships). These were further positively related to online gamer loyalty. This study is the first using the two theories, i.e., the social identity and social capital theoretical perspectives, to clarify the mechanism underlying the impact of avatar identification on online gamer loyalty, assisting electronic commerce managers to create a loyal user base.