Abstract
With the growth of the digital gaming industry, user-generated content (UGC) plays a vital role in player engagement and emotional investment in the digital gaming ecosystem. Players are expanding their gaming experience through content shared on social media platforms (TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, etc.) rather than limiting it to content provided by game developers. Streaming platforms such as Twitch broadcast the game content and act as a bridge between the player and the audience, allowing them to interact through live chat (Wulf et al., 2018). This study examines how UGC shapes long-term engagement and emotional attachment in gaming fandoms. The research will be conducted through an online controlled experiment in which participants will be exposed to UGC associated with specific games. Their engagement and emotional attachment levels will be measured through pre- and post-experiment questionnaires. The experiment considers two types of UGC: short video formats, such as TikTok, and live streaming segments viewed on Twitch or YouTube. The effects of UGC on players are critical issues that need to be addressed, especially in the context of emotional investment and long-term engagement. This study examines how exposure to UGC affects players’ engagement with games and gaming communities. The findings of this study aim to provide theoretical contributions to the study of digital fandom and the sustainability of gaming communities, specifically, how players’ exposure to UGC shapes their interactions with games, their long-term loyalty, and the role of fan-made content in developing gaming communities.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
GAME FANDOMS, AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT, COMMUNITY BUILDING, MEDIA RECEPTION, FAN STUDIES
