Factors influencing the consumption of online gaming in China
Pricing and rewards
One of the factors that have been found to have a significant influence on online gaming in China is pricing. Price is one of the critical aspects that has a direct effect on the purchasing behaviours of the consumers. Many online games are found to be associated with some costs in them. The subscribers to online gaming platforms may be required to pay a regular fee or a one-off fee depending on the terms and conditions of the service provider. The implication of this is that online gamers have to part with some cash for them to enjoy the service. Since there is a cost element involved, there is the question of affordability. Just but a brief overview, China is still a developing nation that is highly populous, with most of its youths being unemployed. Given this case, it becomes difficult or impossible for them to afford online games. On the other hand, it is noted that some online gaming platforms reward their winners. In this case, research reveals that those service providers enjoy a high number of subscribers. Therefore, the connection of rewards to the existing online games is another factor that significantly influences the rate of online gaming in China, with the rate of subscription increasing with an increase in the availability of rewards; an aspect that prompts many users to subscribe (Jin, 2011).
Peer pressure
The other critical element that affects human behavior is peer pressure. Many youths who are subscribed to various online gaming platforms do so out of influence from their peers. Peer pressure among youth is rated as one of the main factors that influence purchase behavior. This aspect is common especially in a local group, whereby people always try to outshine the rest or to be like them. With this fact at hand, it is noted that some of the trending online games in China have the greatest subscribers. This is because youth always want to be current and, if possible, ahead of the rest. This kind of notion is always stimulated by peer pressure which prompts grounds for comparison, where people try as much as they can using all means possible to be current. However, with heightened peer pressure, youths in China have developed undesirable behaviours, and this is amplified by them getting addicted to online gaming (Jin, 2011).
User-friendliness
For any product or service to be relevant in the market, it has to be able to be used with ease. This aspect has been adequately embraced by the service providers in the gaming industry in China. In this regard, such entities provide their products with user manuals. The games offered in various platforms come with a guide on how they operate. This has, subsequently, led to ease of use. The fact that a subscriber can maneuver through a given online gaming without assistance from peers or any other person has led to increased consumption of online gaming in China. This has been most evident on users of smartphones, who simply download a game online and get to enjoy it without any difficulties.
Habit
The other factor that influences the consumption of online gaming in China is habit. It is noted that most people in China have a habit of finding a way of using their free time when they are out of work or school. In this case, most people prefer staying indoors rather than engaging in a hobby in the field, which has now turned out to be tiresome. Given this case, people prefer downloading their favourite sports and participating virtually in them rather than having physical participation (MISNC (Conference), Wang, Uesugi, Ting, Okuhara, & Wang, 2015). This has become a new habit in China. Therefore, habit influences the consumption of online gaming in such a nation.
Government regulations
The government of China has not put any restrictive policies on online gaming. What has been enforced is the watching of pornography and the use of some social media sites. One of the notable social media sites that have been restricted in China is Facebook. Nevertheless, the government has not put any measures to prevent its people from online gaming. This could be due to the fact that engaging in online gaming deters people from engaging in crime. Rather than breaking the law, people opt to keep themselves busy, and this is by participating in online gaming. Therefore, a lack of restrictive government policies on gaming is one of the significant factors that influence the consumption of online gaming in China.
Infrastructure
China is one of the nations that is known to have wide internet coverage. Since most online games rely on internet infrastructure, it has become convenient and easy for users to enjoy their gaming. Some online gaming must have the subscribers connected to the internet fulltime, while others only require the users to download them from some specific sites, after which they can then play later at their own free time. All these require the internet. Apart from the internet, the other infrastructure that has made online gaming a success in China is the availability of internet-enabled mobile devices. China is one of the producers of electronics such as mobile phones and computers. One of the leading manufacturers of smartphones in the world, Apple Company Inclusive, has a branch in China. This implies that there is the ready availability of devices that are compatible to the online games, with one of them being smartphones from Apple Company in China, among other devices from other companies (Ma, Barton, & Lee, 2017). The overall infrastructure in terms of the internet and the availability of supporting devices has a significant influence on the consumption of online games.
Virtual interaction
Last but not least, the other factor that has influenced the consumption of online gaming in China is virtual interaction. Much as there is a ban on Facebook, people in China can still interact on various social media platforms. This has led to exchange of ideas, an element that has saw the introduction of new online games in China. Apart from that, virtual interaction has also led to virtual competition, and this has also promoted online gaming in China (Jin, 2011).
References
Jin, D. Y. (2011). Global media convergence and cultural transformation: Emerging
social patterns and characteristics. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.
Ma, W., Barton, D., & Lee, X. (2017). China’s mobile economy: Opportunities in the largest
and fastest information consumption boom.
MISNC (Conference), Wang, L., Uesugi, S., Ting, I.-H., Okuhara, K., & Wang,
- (2015). Multidisciplinary social networks research: Second International Conference
, MISNC 2015, Matsuyama, Japan, September 1-3, 2015. Proceedings.