Motivations and Obstacles of Chinese Generation Z for Mobile Game Design

Abstract

Objective: Through a survey of Chinese Generation Z female game users, we study users" motivations and obstacles in games and summarize the generational characteristics of the Chinese Generation Z females in games. Through expert interviews, we summarize suggestions conducive to improving the satisfaction level of game application users.Background: Although a large number of scholars have dedicated their effort to Generation Z group in game user research, most of them have not studied mobile games for a specific age and gender group. Particularly, under China"s "one child policy", understanding Chinese Generation Z females" motivation and obstacles to participate in games can effectively improve the user satisfaction of game products. Method: We derived a user travel map from a one-year internet ethnography study of Chinese Generation Z females. The user contact points were sorted out based on this map and were used for in-depth interview design. After conducting in-depth interviews with 40 Chinese Generation Z female game users, expert interviews were conducted to validate the results and to give game design and marketing suggestions for the Chinese game market.Results: Motivations of Chinese Generation Z to participate in games are to pass time, satisfy social needs, relieve stress, and chase fashion. The reasons for users" continuous participation in games are intimate interaction, self-worth realization, and competition pursuit. The obstacles to users" participation in games are payment, single game mode, lack of social functions, and insufficient time.Conclusion: As the new generation of game users, Chinese Generation Z females has great commercial value in the future. Understanding their needs in games is a significantly important way to target product development. Games of high product quality and fits for the psychological motivation of female players would greatly caters to the needs of users, together with well-planned promotion and marketing, is the key to its success. At the same time, the quality of the game is an effective means to maintain users. Keeping freshness and better prolonging the life cycle of the game is an issue that all game products need to focus on.Application: User research is an important part in the process of game product development, and paying attention to the needs of female users of Generation Z can better improve product user satisfaction level.