TY - JOUR
T1 - Games-as-a-Disservice
T2 - Emergent value co-destruction in platform business models
AU - Lehtonen, Miikka J.
AU - Vesa, Mikko
AU - Harviainen, J. Tuomas
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank Sammy Toyoki, Anna Salo-Toyoki, and Kaarle Rasi for data collection, Juha Myllyniemi for research assistance, and Albert Treacy for proofreading the manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2021/12/4
Y1 - 2021/12/4
N2 - Digital distribution has enabled game studios to reach global audiences and treat mobile games as services rather than products, creating novel opportunities to develop value propositions through the games-as-a-service (GaaS) approach. Yet simultaneously, there are also negative consequences caused by a sharp focus on maximizing profits at the expense of customer enjoyment. Drawing on a study bridging game development and gameplay experience, we shed light on the negative consequences of GaaS. We introduce the concept of Games-as-a-Disservice that draws on value co-destruction research by highlighting how platform business models in mobile games have emergent properties that paradoxically seem to encourage the creation and maintenance of negative playing experiences. Disservice in game development is conceptualized through four analytical themes: predatory monetization, play as labor, support denial and closure denial. To counter these properties, companies could adopt participatory design methods for a more granulated understanding of who plays their games and why.
AB - Digital distribution has enabled game studios to reach global audiences and treat mobile games as services rather than products, creating novel opportunities to develop value propositions through the games-as-a-service (GaaS) approach. Yet simultaneously, there are also negative consequences caused by a sharp focus on maximizing profits at the expense of customer enjoyment. Drawing on a study bridging game development and gameplay experience, we shed light on the negative consequences of GaaS. We introduce the concept of Games-as-a-Disservice that draws on value co-destruction research by highlighting how platform business models in mobile games have emergent properties that paradoxically seem to encourage the creation and maintenance of negative playing experiences. Disservice in game development is conceptualized through four analytical themes: predatory monetization, play as labor, support denial and closure denial. To counter these properties, companies could adopt participatory design methods for a more granulated understanding of who plays their games and why.
KW - 512 Business and Management
KW - Consumer participation
KW - Disservice
KW - Game development
KW - Mobile games
KW - Value co-destruction
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85120787300&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/c22ac931-1f5b-33f4-b0be-58216c27eb83/
U2 - 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.11.055
DO - 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.11.055
M3 - Article
SN - 0148-2963
SP - 1
JO - Journal of Business Research
JF - Journal of Business Research
ER -
