Playing with social relationships. Their role among actors in the video game industry

Abstract

Abstract Purpose This paper focuses on social (informal, interpersonal) relationships and identifies their positive effects on business activity in – a rarely empirically analyzed – the video game industry. Methodology Given the lack of previous research on the positive business effects of social relationships in the chosen empirical context, qualitative and explorative research was conducted. To address the research goals, seventeen semi-structured in-depth interviews and one focus group interview with six video game developers were carried out. The interviews were analyzed using inductive coding procedure. Findings The key contributions are as follows: (1) specific industry characteristics determine the relevance of social relationships for business activity; (2) among the key actors maintaining such relationships are: consumers (i.e., gamers), business partners (investors, contractors, and co-operators), employees (past and current), and competitors; (3) industry-specific social relationships benefits are identified by comparing them with the general social relationships benefits indicated in the literature, detailing them in the chosen empirical context, and addressing the type of actors with which social links are exploited. Practical implications Game developers can realize with whom to maintain social relations within video game industry to generate particular business benefits, for example, better promotion and higher game sales, building a proper firm’s image. Originality The identification of actors of social relationships diverse in terms of establishing and intentional usage of social relationships, the recognition of the specific business-related benefits of maintaining social relationships by video game developers, and providing empirical evidence of the industry-wide determinants of the benefits of maintaining social relationships.