Game Players’ Leisure Experience: The Role of Exchange Relations and Emotional Investment Among Players in Online Games and Gaming Communities

Online games and their accompanying communities have become mainstream leisure and social activities for young people. However, most research on player motivation has focused on intrinsic personal factors, overlooking the influence of the broader social and cultural context in shaping leisure experiences. This study used the affect theory of social exchange and relational cohesion theory to explore how social exchange processes affect players' participation in games and gaming communities. Results showed that players regarded games and the relationships established in gaming communities as valued objects, and that emotional investment facilitated the exchange process between players and enhanced their community commitment. Players play games not only for entertainment but also to build social relationships. These are gradual and imperceptible changes in player behavior and perception. Furthermore, game principles have been commercialized into a product of gaming consumption culture. Online games are both a medium and an outcome of digital leisure culture.