An Exploratory Study of Social Game by Flow Theory and Social Network Theory

Abstract

Facebook triggered a popular trend in Taiwan because it changed users’ Internet social cognition. Before this, the Internet users interact with others only by search engines, online advertising, e-mails or blogs. Network users are fully immersed in Facebook social network as in a real interpersonal network platform, which triggers their intended use. Every Internet user initially acts as a self-centered base. Through a social network as Facebook, it allows one to quickly connect related users in a short time and contact them extensively to the entire internet world. This study intends to explore the possible impact of the immersed phenomenon which often occurs in the games, as well as, from external factor of social network and internal factor of flow theory to discuss the possible reason for users to play the Facebook games. Through answering online questionnaire in Chinese by Taiwanese Facebook users, the researchers collect 104 valid samples. By using regression analysis, the results display that social network and the intended use in a negative relationship. The immersed phenomenon has a positive effect on user intention in Facebook games. The authors assumed that Facebook game players may not have intention of social, but only want to play the games in Facebook social network and be fully emerged in game playing. Therefore, the major factors enabling users’ psychological satisfaction in Facebook game playing will be critical in game design applications. Keywords—social games; flow theory; social network theory; user intention