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Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3613-8899
AccessType
Open Access Dissertation
Document Type
dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Degree Program
Management
Year Degree Awarded
2022
Month Degree Awarded
May
First Advisor
Janet S. Fink
Second Advisor
Elizabeth B. Delia
Third Advisor
E. Nicole Melton
Fourth Advisor
Lisa A. Keller
Subject Categories
Sports Management
Abstract
This dissertation addresses the literature gap in understanding the different psychological mechanisms of eSport consumers, as determined by their various points of attachment they possess depending on different sport contexts. The electronic sports (eSports) industry has been growing rapidly in popularity, but exploration of eSport fandom has been limited. Especially, a better understanding of the eSport consumers’ behavior and their psychological connection to particular eSports and teams is necessary. The first study in this dissertation identifies the points of attachment in eSport fans, based on an extensive literature review. The second study develops and validates the eSport Points of Attachment Index (ePAI), by utilizing a panel of experts and eSport fans. After the rigorous testing and validating the relationship with consumer behavior intentions, an initial version of the ePAI, with eleven dimensions will be proposed. The third study will empirically determine whether the points of attachment (i.e., psychological connection) can explain more significant variances in future consumption behavior of eSport fans beyond motives (i.e., basic human needs), using the ePAI. Finally, the fourth study will test the ePAI on various demographics (e.g., gender, culture), identifying the influence of the multiple points of attachment on different populations. In sum, the findings of this dissertation are expected to differentiate consumers based on different points of attachment and identify the possibility of multidimensional points of attachment of eSport fans based on their demographic contexts, augmenting existing marketing literature in the sport context and extending academic literature in eSport fan identification. Most importantly, a more comprehensive understanding of general sport fan behavior will suggest better approaches to different market segments and ways to connect with untapped eSports markets, facilitating industry stakeholders’ success and future monetization strategies.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/28519507
Recommended Citation
Kim, Se Jin, "THE ESPORT POINTS OF ATTACHMENT INDEX (EPAI): EXPLORING PSYCHOLOGICAL CONNECTIONS OF ESPORT CONSUMERS ON BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS TOWARD ESPORT ORGANIZATIONS" (2022). Doctoral Dissertations. 2539.
https://doi.org/10.7275/28519507
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_2/2539
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.