Online gaming misbehaviours and their adverse impact on other gamers

Purpose – As a popular entertainment form, online gaming is a significant global industry with millions of customers. However gaming misbehaviours (gamer behaviours that violate generally accepted norms) and their impact on other gamers have received little attention. This study thus aims to examine five online gaming misbehaviours (i.e. account theft, cheating, bullying, profanity, and hoarding of advantageous locations) and how they influence other gamers in terms of anger and continuance intention (intention to repetitively play a specific game). Design/methodology/approach – The study sample comprises 767 online gamers who provided valid responses to an online survey. The hypotheses are tested using structural equation modelling. Findings – Analytical results indicate that profanity and hoarding of advantageous locations anger other gamers, reducing continuance intention. Practical implications – The analytical results suggest that game providers should focus on reducing gaming misbehaviours such as profanity and hoarding of advantageous locations. Originality/value – This study contributes to the literature by investigating the misbehaviours in online games and their impact.