Commitment to multiplayer online games: An investment model approach

Multiplayer online games have highly committed players who continue playing these games for years. In the present study, commitment to multiplayer online games was examined from an investment model perspective. The investment model was originally developed to explain persistence in romantic relationships, ultimately identifying the three predictors of commitment as satisfaction, quality of alternatives, and investment size. Furthermore, commitment has been linked to greater accommodation (i.e., constructive responses) in relationship conflicts. The present study extended the model to the context of multiplayer online games. Participants (N = 176) who regularly played a multiplayer online game completed modified versions of the investment model and accommodation scales in an online questionnaire. Structural equation modeling analyses showed that satisfaction and investment predicted greater game commitment, which in turn predicted greater accommodation toward the game's problems (i.e., lower endorsement of exit behaviors, greater endorsement of voice and loyalty behaviors). Findings showed that the investment model provides a valid framework for examining game commitment.