How Do Workplace Frustration and Need Satisfaction Motivate Online Gamer Loyalty?

Online games are prevalent in the field of e-commerce and are known for satisfying the various needs of users. Nonetheless, little is known about whether online games could be a resort for users encountering workplace frustration. Explaining how workplace frustration and users’ need satisfaction affect loyalty of online gamers, we formulate hypotheses and develop a framework based on self-affirmation theory (SAT) and selfdetermination theory (SDT). We will use online surveys to collect responses from online gamers and use structural equation modelling to test the hypotheses. This study will be the first to use SAT and SDT to identify three antecedents and a moderator of online gamer loyalty. Our findings may offer e-commerce managers useful insights to understand their gamers’ workplace frustration and inform them that playing games may alleviate the associated negative feelings.

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