• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.69-98
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• 2009

We investigated what factors motivate gamers to participate in a guild and why they continue to be engaged as members of the guild. We find that, based on the result of focus group interviews with MMORPG gamers, social support and self-esteem factors play important roles. Considering both prior research and the focus group interviews we have conducted, we define social support and character control as independent variables. Character identity, guild identity, and self-esteem are proposed as mediating variables while guild flow and game loyalty as dependent variables. Accordingly, we develop the research model and hypotheses, and verify them empirically. Based on our experiences of playing the WoW game, we proposed a research model and conducted focus-group interviews (FGIs). FGIs involve formulating a hypothesis and then collecting some relevant data. FGIs were conducted face-to-face with students of C University in Korea. We formulated structured interview schedules, and the questions were based on our research variables and personal experiences. The questions for the interviews encompassed the following areas: (a) the demographic characteristics of the focus group; (b) the number of years for which respondents had played online games; (c) the motive for starting a game; (d) the number of game-characters assumed by each gamer; (e) the type of game played; and (f) other issues such as the reasons for involvement in the play, the willingness to reuse the game in case new versions were released, etc. On average, it took two hours to interview each of three groups. A primary set of FGIs was conducted with three groups on the premise that there would be some differences caused by character race (Horde vs. Alliance) or by playable server (Normal vs. Combat). With respect to the manner of playing, we found that guild members shared information, felt a sense of belonging, and played computer games for quite a long time through the guild; however, they did not undergo these experiences when playing alone. Gamers who belonged to a specific guild helped other players without expecting compensation for that, freely shared information about the game, gave away items for free, and more generous with other members who made mistakes. The guild members were aware of the existence other members and experienced a sense of belonging through interactions with, and evaluations from, other players. It was clear that social support was shown within the guild and that it played an important role as a major research variable. Based on the results of the first FGIs, a second set of in-depth FGIs was carried out with a focus on the psychology of the individual within the guild and the social community of the guild. The second set of FGIs also focused on the guild's offline meetings. Gamers, over all, recognize the necessity of joining a community, not only off-line but also online world of the guild. They admit that the guild is important for them to easily and conveniently enjoy playing online computer games. The active behavior and positive attitudes of existing guild members can motivate new members of the guild to adapt themselves to the guild environment. They then adopt the same behaviors and attitudes of established guild members. In this manner, the new members of the guild strengthen the bonds with other gamers while feeling a sense of belonging, and developing social identity, thereby. It was discovered that the interaction among guild members and the social support encouraged new gamers to quickly develop a sense of social identity and increase their self-esteem. The guild seemed to play the role of socializing gamers. Sometimes, even in the real world, the guild members helped one another; therefore, the features of the guild also spilled over to the offline environment. We intend to use self-esteem, which was found through the second set of FGIs, as an important research variable. To collect data, an online survey was designed with a questionnaire to be completed by WoW gamers, who belong to a guild. The survey was registered on the best three domestic game-sites: 'WoW playforum,' 'WoW gamemeca,' and 'Wow invent.' The selected items to be measured in the questionnaire were decided based on prior research and data from FGIs. To verify the content of the questionnaire, we carried out a pilot test with the same participants to point out ambiguous questions as a way to ensure maximum accuracy of the survey result. A total of 244 responses were analyzed from the 250 completed questionnaires. The SEM analysis was used to test goodness-of-fit of the model. As a result, we found important results as follows: First, according to the statistics, social support had statistically significant impacts on character control, character identity, guild identity and self-esteem. Second, character control had significant effects on character identity, guild identity and self-esteem. Third, character identity shows its clear impact on self-esteem and game loyalty. Fourth, guild identity affected self-esteem, guild flow and game loyalty. Fifth, self-esteem had a positive influence on the guild flow. These days, the number of virtual community is rising along with its significance largely because of the nature of the online games. Accordingly, this study is designed to clarify the psychological relationship between gamers within the guild that has been generally established by gamers to play online games together. This study focuses on the relationships in which social support influences guild flow or game loyalty through character control, character identity, guild identity, and self-esteem, which are present within a guild in the MMORPG game environment. The study results are as follows. First, the effects of social support on character control, character identity, guild identity and self-esteem are proven to be statistically significant. It was found that character control improves character identity, guild identity and self-esteem. Among the seven variables, social support, which is derived from FGIs, plays an important role in this study. With the active support of other guild members, gamers can improve their ability to develop good characters and to control them. Second, character identity has a positive effect on self-esteem and game loyalty, while guild identity has a significant effect on self-esteem, guild flow and game loyalty. Self-esteem affects guild flow. It was found that the higher the character and guild identities become, the greater the self-esteem is established. Contrary to the findings of prior research, our study results indicate that the relationship between character identity and guild flow is not significant. Rather, it was found that character identity directly affects game players' loyalty. Even though the character identity had no direct effect on increasing guild flow, it has indirectly affected guild flow through self-esteem. The significant relationship between self-esteem and guild flow indicates that gamers achieve flow, i.e., a feeling of pleasure and excitement through social support. Several important implications of this study should be noted. First, both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to conduct this study. Through FGIs, it was observed that both social support and self-esteem are important variables. Second, because guilds had been rarely studied, this research is expected to play an important role in the online community. Third, according to the result, six hypotheses (H1, H5, H6, H7, H8, and H11) setup based on FGIs, were statistically significant; thus, we can suggest the corresponding relationships among the variables as a guideline for follow-up research. Our research is significant as it has following implications: first, the social support of the guild members is important when establishing character control, character identity, guildidentity and self-esteem. It is also a major variable that affects guild flow and game loyalty. Second, character control when improved by social support shows notable influence on the development of character identity, guild identity and self-esteem. Third, character identity and guild identity are major factors to help establish gamers' own self-esteem. Fourth, character identity affects guild flow through self-esteem and game loyalty. The gamers usually express themselves through characters; the higher character identity is, the more loyalty a gamer has. Fifth, guild identity, established within the guild, has clear effects on self-esteem, guild flow and game loyalty. Sixth, qualitative and quantitative methods are employed to conduct this study. Based on the results of focus group interviews and SEM analysis, we find that the social support by guild members and psychological factors are significant in strengthening the flow of guild and loyalty to the game. As such, game developers should provide some extra functions for guild community, through which gamers can play online games in collaboration with one another. Also, we suggest that positive self-esteem which is built up through social support can help gamers achieve higher level of flow and satisfaction, which will consequently contribute to minimizing the possibility for the players to develop negative attitude toward the guild they belong to.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.15-21
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• 1984

It was aimed to study the effects of ${\alpha}_2-adrenoceptor$ agonists on the sleeping time in $one{\sim}two-day-old$ chickens. Furthermore, it was also evaluated whether ${\alpha}_1-adrenoceptor$ agonist and antagonist might affect the sleeping in the chickens and discussed in relation with opiate receptor. 1) Guanabenz, clonidine, guanfacine and B-HT 933 decreased the latency of the loss of righting reflex in a dose-dependent manner, but B-HT 920 and oxymetazoline slightly prolonged it. 2) ${\alpha}_2-Adrenoceptor$ agonists produced dose·related increase in sleeping time. The potency was guanabenz>clonidine>oxymetazoline${\geq}$B-HT 933${\geq}$B-HT 920>guanfacine in this order. 3) ${\alpha}_2-Adrenoceptor$ antagonists decreased guanabenz-induced sleeping time in a dose ·dependent manner. The rank order of ${\alpha}_2-adrenoceptor$ antagonists was yohimbine>rauwolscine>piperoxan${\geq}$RX 781094. 4) Sleeping time caused by both ethanol and hexobarbital was not affected by yohimbine in chickens. 5) Methoxamine and phenylephrine showed little significant effect on the guanabenz-induced sleeping time. However, prazosin increased it. Paradoxically, corynanthine rather caused to decrease it. These results suggest that the stimulation of central ${\alpha}_2-adrenoceptor$ mediates sleeping, however it is remained uncertain in the role of central ${\alpha}_1-adrenoceptor$ in chickens. In addition, the one~two-day-old chickens may be considered as a useful, inexpensive and simple experimental model to evaluate the in vivo pharmacological action of the ${\alpha}_2-adrenoceptor$ agonist and antagonist related to sedation.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.111-144
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• 2011

This study is to confirm the core factors of innovative capabilities and technological entrepreneurship affecting the performance of technology management and business management of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Through the consideration about the complex natures of technological innovation affecting by multidimensional factors, this study designs the research model that innovative capabilities, the performances of technology and business management are arranged in accordance with the innovation process; input-output-outcome. To meet this research purpose, the hypothesis are set up based on the previous research studies and the research samples are selected from members of the Innovative Business (INNO-BIZ) Association, located in Seoul and Geyonggi province. As a result of regression analysis to the responses gathered from 360 firms, the performance of business management is influenced positively by the technology superiority, market growth and business profitability which are the dominant factors of performance of technology management. In addition, three sub-variables of innovative capabilities such as R&D, strategic planning and learning capability, have positive effects on both the managerial performances. Innovativeness and progressiveness of technological entrepreneurship affect both the performances positively. Moreover, the co-relation between technological entrepreneurship of an innovation leader and innovative capabilities of organizational members are identified. Lastly, technological entrepreneurship has the mediating effect on the path of leading innovative capabilities to the managerial performances. In conclusion, the research results imply that technological innovation-type firms should periodically evaluate the performance of technology management which are the output of technological innovations and the reinvestment for ultimate business success. And improving and developing innovative capabilities and technological entrepreneurship is required to continuously and consistently investing and supporting resources on technological innovations at the firm-and government-level. It is considered that these are the crucial methods for securing the technologically competitive advantage of SMEs with less resources and narrow innovation range.

• The Journal of Society for e-Business Studies
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.135-176
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• 2020

This study is to investigate the factors affecting the usage intentions of 5G service between 5G service subscribers and non-subscribers based on the Integratively Extended Technology Acceptance Model in the initial B2C 5G service market. We designed the integratively extended technology acceptance model to find the more specific factors to affect the usage intentions by integrating the exogenous factors including the technical factors, the social factors, and the personal factors with the ETAM(Extended Technology Acceptance Model). Referring to the previous studies, we constructed the hypotheses of structural influence relationship from the exogenous factors to the dependent usage intentions factors through the mediating belief factors. We designed the 5G service usage intentions model based on these hypotheses and operational definitions of the factors. Using the analysis of SEM(Structural Equation Model), the proposed model and the hypotheses were empirically tested by the data collected from 245 subscribed respondents and 245 non-subscribed respondents. As a result, the perceived ease of use has an effect on the perceived usefulness and enjoyment, and the perceived usefulness/enjoyment and the personal innovativeness have positive effects on the usage intentions of both groups.

• Journal of Korea Society of Industrial Information Systems
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.119-135
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• 2014

This study is aimed at understanding the factors behind deciding to accept a social network service (SNS) from the viewpoint of tourists who are users of tourism SNS. The study also seeks to clarify the effects these deduced factors have on the intention of users to continuously use SNS. To this end, individual properties (such as self-efficacy, socio-cultural effects, social presence and people's innovativeness), systematic properties (like system quality and information quality)and usefulness/availability were used as factors with regard to the decision to accept tourism SNS based on previous studies and efforts were made to structurally clarify the effects of such previous factors on people's intention to continuously use SNS through perceived value and satisfaction. SNS had significant effects on satisfaction and, furthermore, significantly affected tourists' intention to continuously use it. Based on such study results, factors behind deciding to accept SNS from the viewpoint of tourists affected customers' perceived value and satisfaction and ultimately affected their intention to continuously use SNS. To achieve the purpose of the study, a survey was conducted on about 250 Busan residents who had used SNS in relation to tourist activities, such as exhibitions, conventions, accommodation, trips, aviation service and transportation. According to an empirical study, factors behind deciding to accept tourism SNS, including individual properties, systematic properties and usefulness/availability had statistically significant effects on perceived value. The usefulness/availability factor had the largest influence, in particular, followed by the systematic factor and individual factor. The value perceived in the process of using tourism SNS had significant effects on satisfaction and, furthermore, significantly affected tourists' intention to continuously use it. Based on such study results, factors behind deciding to accept SNS from the viewpoint of tourists affected customers' perceived value and satisfaction and ultimately affected their intention to continuously use SNS.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.301-327
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• 2012

This study investigated body images based on the survey data drawn from college students in three East Asian countries(Korea, Japan, and China). 347 Korean, 341 Chinese, and 271 Japanese college students responded to questions designed to measure body images such as body-related values (operability, inclination, locus of evaluation, and instrumentality of appearance), body esteem (appearance, and health), and objectified body-consciousness ( surveillance and shame). The results showed that body images differ among countries. Regarding body-related values, Korean students have least conservative beliefs and followed by Japanese, and Chinese. Korean students showed the highest acceptance level for the voluntary body alteration(operability), highest inclination to body appearance over health. They also showed the strongest tendency of evaluating their body from the observer's point of view and the strongest belief about the social utility of body appearance compare to Japanese and Chinese students. Appearance- esteem of Korean was similar to Chinese but higher than Japanese. Surveillance and shame about body appearance of Korean students were similar to Japanese but higher than Chinese. Compare to male students, females showed stronger belief about the body appearance over health, lower appearance esteem, and higher surveillance and shame about body. Korean women showed the least conservative body-related values, and the levels of body appearance esteem and objectified body consciousness were located in between Japanese and Chinese women. Japanese women showed especially low body appearance esteem and highest surveillance and shame. Chinese women showed the most conservative body-related value, the highest appearance-esteem, and the lowest surveillance and shame. It was revealed that the body-related values indirectly affect to appearance-esteem through the mediating role of objectified body consciousness in Chinese and Japanese samples, but that the body-related values had direct effect on appearance-esteem as well in Korean sample.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.227-252
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• 2018

The evolution of instant communication has mirrored the development of the Internet and messenger applications are among the most representative manifestations of instant communication technologies. In messenger applications, senders use emoticons to supplement the emotions conveyed in the text of their messages. The fact that communication via messenger applications is not face-to-face makes it difficult for senders to communicate their emotions to message recipients. Emoticons have long been used as symbols that indicate the moods of speakers. However, at present, emoticon-use is evolving into a means of conveying the psychological states of consumers who want to express individual characteristics and personality quirks while communicating their emotions to others. The fact that companies like KakaoTalk, Line, Apple, etc. have begun conducting emoticon business and sales of related content are expected to gradually increase testifies to the significance of this phenomenon. Nevertheless, despite the development of emoticons themselves and the growth of the emoticon market, no suitable emoticon recommendation system has yet been developed. Even KakaoTalk, a messenger application that commands more than 90% of domestic market share in South Korea, just grouped in to popularity, most recent, or brief category. This means consumers face the inconvenience of constantly scrolling around to locate the emoticons they want. The creation of an emoticon recommendation system would improve consumer convenience and satisfaction and increase the sales revenue of companies the sell emoticons. To recommend appropriate emoticons, it is necessary to quantify the emotions that the consumer sees and emotions. Such quantification will enable us to analyze the characteristics and emotions felt by consumers who used similar emoticons, which, in turn, will facilitate our emoticon recommendations for consumers. One way to quantify emoticons use is metadata-ization. Metadata-ization is a means of structuring or organizing unstructured and semi-structured data to extract meaning. By structuring unstructured emoticon data through metadata-ization, we can easily classify emoticons based on the emotions consumers want to express. To determine emoticons' precise emotions, we had to consider sub-detail expressions-not only the seven common emotional adjectives but also the metaphorical expressions that appear only in South Korean proved by previous studies related to emotion focusing on the emoticon's characteristics. We therefore collected the sub-detail expressions of emotion based on the "Shape", "Color" and "Adumbration". Moreover, to design a highly accurate recommendation system, we considered both emotion-technical indexes and emoticon-emotional indexes. We then identified 14 features of emoticon-technical indexes and selected 36 emotional adjectives. The 36 emotional adjectives consisted of contrasting adjectives, which we reduced to 18, and we measured the 18 emotional adjectives using 40 emoticon sets randomly selected from the top-ranked emoticons in the KakaoTalk shop. We surveyed 277 consumers in their mid-twenties who had experience purchasing emoticons; we recruited them online and asked them to evaluate five different emoticon sets. After data acquisition, we conducted a factor analysis of emoticon-emotional factors. We extracted four factors that we named "Comic", Softness", "Modernity" and "Transparency". We analyzed both the relationship between indexes and consumer attitude and the relationship between emoticon-technical indexes and emoticon-emotional factors. Through this process, we confirmed that the emoticon-technical indexes did not directly affect consumer attitudes but had a mediating effect on consumer attitudes through emoticon-emotional factors. The results of the analysis revealed the mechanism consumers use to evaluate emoticons; the results also showed that consumers' emoticon-technical indexes affected emoticon-emotional factors and that the emoticon-emotional factors affected consumer satisfaction. We therefore designed the emoticon recommendation system using only four emoticon-emotional factors; we created a recommendation method to calculate the Euclidean distance from each factors' emotion. In an attempt to increase the accuracy of the emoticon recommendation system, we compared the emotional patterns of selected emoticons with the recommended emoticons. The emotional patterns corresponded in principle. We verified the emoticon recommendation system by testing prediction accuracy; the predictions were 81.02% accurate in the first result, 76.64% accurate in the second, and 81.63% accurate in the third. This study developed a methodology that can be used in various fields academically and practically. We expect that the novel emoticon recommendation system we designed will increase emoticon sales for companies who conduct business in this domain and make consumer experiences more convenient. In addition, this study served as an important first step in the development of an intelligent emoticon recommendation system. The emotional factors proposed in this study could be collected in an emotional library that could serve as an emotion index for evaluation when new emoticons are released. Moreover, by combining the accumulated emotional library with company sales data, sales information, and consumer data, companies could develop hybrid recommendation systems that would bolster convenience for consumers and serve as intellectual assets that companies could strategically deploy.