IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v141y2022icp564-574.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Games-as-a-Disservice: Emergent value co-destruction in platform business models

Author

Listed:
  • Lehtonen, Miikka J.
  • Vesa, Mikko
  • Harviainen, J. Tuomas

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Lehtonen, Miikka J. & Vesa, Mikko & Harviainen, J. Tuomas, 2022. "Games-as-a-Disservice: Emergent value co-destruction in platform business models," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 564-574.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:141:y:2022:i:c:p:564-574
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.11.055
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296321008626
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.11.055?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Pera, Rebecca & Menozzi, Anna & Abrate, Graziano & Baima, Gabriele, 2021. "When cocreation turns into codestruction," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 222-232.
    2. Vandermerwe, Sandra & Rada, Juan, 1988. "Servitization of business: Adding value by adding services," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 6(4), pages 314-324, December.
    3. Verhoef, Peter C. & Broekhuizen, Thijs & Bart, Yakov & Bhattacharya, Abhi & Qi Dong, John & Fabian, Nicolai & Haenlein, Michael, 2021. "Digital transformation: A multidisciplinary reflection and research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 889-901.
    4. F. Ted Tschang, 2007. "Balancing the Tensions Between Rationalization and Creativity in the Video Games Industry," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(6), pages 989-1005, December.
    5. Olli I. Heimo & J. Tuomas Harviainen & Kai K. Kimppa & Tuomas Mäkilä, 2018. "Virtual to Virtuous Money: A Virtue Ethics Perspective on Video Game Business Logic," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(1), pages 95-103, November.
    6. L. Plé & R. Chumpitaz, 2010. "Not always co-creation: introducing interactional co-destruction of value in service-dominant logic," Post-Print halshs-00588239, HAL.
    7. Kai Huotari & Juho Hamari, 2017. "A definition for gamification: anchoring gamification in the service marketing literature," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 27(1), pages 21-31, February.
    8. Matarazzo, Michela & Penco, Lara & Profumo, Giorgia & Quaglia, Roberto, 2021. "Digital transformation and customer value creation in Made in Italy SMEs: A dynamic capabilities perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 642-656.
    9. Myriam DAVIDOVICI-NORA, 2014. "Paid and Free Digital Business Models Innovations in the Video Game Industry," Communications & Strategies, IDATE, Com&Strat dept., vol. 1(94), pages 83-102, 2nd quart.
    10. Plé, Loïc & Demangeot, Catherine, 2020. "Social contagion of online and offline deviant behaviors and its value outcomes: The case of tourism ecosystems," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 886-896.
    11. Järvi, Henna & Kähkönen, Anni-Kaisa & Torvinen, Hannu, 2018. "When value co-creation fails: Reasons that lead to value co-destruction," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 63-77.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Hussain, Ali & Abid, Muhammad Farrukh & Shamim, Amjad & Ting, Ding Hooi & Toha, Md Abu, 2023. "Videogames-as-a-service: How does in-game value co-creation enhance premium gaming co-creation experience for players?," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    2. Zhou, Fei & Lin, Youhai & Mou, Jian & Cohen, Jason & Chen, Sihua, 2023. "Understanding the dark side of gamified interactions on short-form video platforms: Through a lens of expectations violations theory," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 186(PB).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zahoor, Nadia & Zopiatis, Anastasios & Adomako, Samuel & Lamprinakos, Grigorios, 2023. "The micro-foundations of digitally transforming SMEs: How digital literacy and technology interact with managerial attributes," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    2. Sebastian Kussl & Andreas Wald, 2022. "Smart Mobility and its Implications for Road Infrastructure Provision: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-20, December.
    3. Zhou, Zhongsheng & Li, Zhuo, 2023. "Corporate digital transformation and trade credit financing," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    4. Brewis, Claire & Dibb, Sally & Meadows, Maureen, 2023. "Leveraging big data for strategic marketing: A dynamic capabilities model for incumbent firms," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    5. Piepponen, Amanda & Ritala, Paavo & Keränen, Joona & Maijanen, Päivi, 2022. "Digital transformation of the value proposition: A single case study in the media industry," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 311-325.
    6. Li, Chengming & Huo, Peng & Wang, Zeyu & Zhang, Weiguang & Liang, Feiyan & Mardani, Abbas, 2023. "Digitalization generates equality? Enterprises’ digital transformation, financing constraints, and labor share in China," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    7. Jianhua Zhu & Julien S. Baker & Zhiting Song & Xiao-Guang Yue & Wenqi Li, 2023. "Government regulatory policies for digital transformation in small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises: an evolutionary game analysis," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-18, December.
    8. Liukai Wang & Caiting Wang & Larisa Yarovaya & Heshu Huang, 2024. "Trade credit and corporate digital transformation: The role of managerial ability," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 59(3), pages 779-806, August.
    9. Jiang, Kangqi & Du, Xinyi & Chen, Zhongfei, 2022. "Firms' digitalization and stock price crash risk," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    10. Li, Min & Liu, Na & Kou, Aiju & Chen, Wenchuan, 2023. "Customer concentration and digital transformation," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    11. Vuchkovski, Davor & Zalaznik, Maja & Mitręga, Maciej & Pfajfar, Gregor, 2023. "A look at the future of work: The digital transformation of teams from conventional to virtual," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    12. Rocío G. Martínez & Ramon A. Carrasco & Cristina Sanchez-Figueroa & Diana Gavilan, 2021. "An RFM Model Customizable to Product Catalogues and Marketing Criteria Using Fuzzy Linguistic Models: Case Study of a Retail Business," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 9(16), pages 1-31, August.
    13. Wang, Sai & Wen, Wen & Niu, Yuhao & Li, Xin, 2024. "Digital transformation and corporate labor investment efficiency," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    14. Changling Sun & Ziang Lin & Marek Vochozka & Zuzana Vincúrová, 2022. "Digital transformation and corporate cash holdings in China’s A-share listed companies," Oeconomia Copernicana, Institute of Economic Research, vol. 13(4), pages 1081-1116, December.
    15. Singh, Shiwangi & Sharma, Meenakshi & Dhir, Sanjay, 2021. "Modeling the effects of digital transformation in Indian manufacturing industry," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    16. Zhu, Xiumei & Li, Yue, 2023. "The use of data-driven insight in ambidextrous digital transformation: How do resource orchestration, organizational strategic decision-making, and organizational agility matter?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    17. Yu, Honglan & Fletcher, Margaret & Buck, Trevor, 2022. "Managing digital transformation during re-internationalization: Trajectories and implications for performance," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(4).
    18. Chaïma Siala & Abdelmajid Amine, 2022. "Le rôle du retour d’expérience dans la « gamification » des campagnes de crowdsourcing," Post-Print hal-03709625, HAL.
    19. Xiangyu Chen & Peng Wan & Zhefeng Ma & Yu Yang, 2024. "Does corporate digital transformation restrain ESG decoupling? Evidence from China," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-15, December.
    20. Miikka J. Lehtonen & J. Tuomas Harviainen & Annakaisa Kultima, 2023. "How monetization mechanisms in mobile games influence consumers’ identity extensions," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 17(1), pages 113-136, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:141:y:2022:i:c:p:564-574. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.