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1. Introduction
In 2016, the global gaming market will reach $86.1 billion, with a total number of up to 1.55 billion users. In 2017, the output of the global gaming industry will reach $100 billion, providing huge business opportunities (IEK, 2015a). Specifically, from 2011 to 2015, the rapid increase in mobile games grew from $10.5 to $152 billion; online games grew from $18.6 billion to $25.5 billion; and console games grew from $34.1 billion to $41.4 billion (IEK, 2015b). With its annual increase in consumption capacity, China is the world’s largest gaming market, with an online game population of 120 million and a mobile game population of 160 million. The USA has an online game population of approximately 52 million and a mobile game population of approximately 100 million. Taiwan has an online game population of approximately six million and a mobile game population of approximately nine million (Consortium Corporation Information Industry Strategic Association, 2015).
The insertion of related products into gaming elements and the use of role-playing in the game have led to a gradually fermented gaming trend. In this process, manufacturers can increase consumption and gain hidden benefits through the establishment of guided rules in the game and by letting gamers self-recognize and expand consumption during entertainment (Li et al., 2015; Cadin and Guérin, 2006; Enders et al., 2008). As the fusion of mass culture, the trend of postmodernism, and consumerism, internet media have completed their cultural transformation of consumerism. That is, the internet has become an important medium and means for the production and consumption of desire. Its online games are an important field for media consumption, self-creation, and self-recognition by consumers (Hussain et al., 2015; Readman and Grantham, 2006; Tschang and Szczypula, 2006). The reason is that the game constructs a role to play in the virtual field through the game context, allowing the gamer to experience media consumption in a virtual field and to re-shape his or her own appearance and gender (Badrinarayanan et al., 2015; Cadin et al., 2006). Gamers jump out of the limitation of their own existing position and role and then expand themselves and their identity. When online, unlike the traditional manner of self-creation and identification, gamers can create a new...