Service Quality and Online Games: Moderating effect of Zone of Tolerance

Attracting millions of users world-wide, online gaming is perceived as a profitable e-business with great research potentials. This study proposes a behavioral consequence research model linking service quality, service value, satisfaction and behavioral intentions with a central focus on the moderating effect of Zone of Tolerance (ZOT), which serves as a standard for service evaluation by forming a cognitive boundary of satisfactory service, in the context of massively multiplayer online role-playing games. The necessity of customizing conventional e-service quality measures is highlighted in order to reflect the distinctiveness of online game service attributes when undertaking empirical tests. On the basis of solid conceptualization, our research model is expected to explain the variability of online game players’ rating on satisfaction and their subsequent behavioral intentions. Lastly, several implications noted in this study are presented.