Gotta take my avatar shopping: impacts of interactive virtual shopping in esports
研究电子竞技游戏中交互式虚拟购物对玩家游戏愉悦感的影响，发现其通过品牌态度、真实感和角色依恋产生正面作用，且对知名度较低的品牌效果更显著。
Purpose Esports game developers are incorporating interactive virtual shopping (IVS) experiences into their products to facilitate consumer–brand interactions. Despite the potential influence of IVS, existing research lacks an understanding of its impact on consumers’ overall affect– particularly game enjoyment, a critical factor in sustaining engagement with esports products – and on attitudinal change toward brands in the real world. Design/methodology/approach An experiment was designed to examine the impact of shopping in the virtually interactive esports marketplace on game enjoyment. Mediating effects of positive change in brand attitude, perceived realism and character attachment and the moderating effect of self-avatar gender congruity were investigated using SPSS PROCESS Macro. Additionally, the impact of brand popularity on the relationship between IVS and brand attitude was examined using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Findings There was a positive impact of IVS on game enjoyment, mediated by a positive change in brand attitude, perceived realism and character attachment. Self-avatar gender congruity moderated the mediation effect of perceived realism. Notably, less popular brands exhibited a greater change in brand attitude compared to more popular brands. Originality/value The findings add to the body of literature on esports, particularly in investigating the role of IVS within the esports virtual world and advancing research on cognitive appraisal theory. This study informs practitioners in the esports industry about the value of creating interactive virtual marketplaces, as they serve to benefit sponsoring brands and enhance game enjoyment for players.