'Migrating to a new virtual world': Exploring MMORPG switching through human migration theory

Online gaming has become a popular leisure-time activity. In this study, we enlisted and adapted the Push-Pull-Mooring model, which analyzes human migratory behavior based on the Demographic Migration Theory, to study the game switching of garners. Data was obtained via an empirical survey of 654 online garners and then was analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique. The results indicate that the Push-Pull-Mooring model can be extended to explain the switching intentions of online garners. The "mooring effect" appears to have a stronger influence on the player's switching intention than the "pull effect", while the "push effect" appears to have no influence at all. We discuss the implications of our findings and offer possible avenues of exploration for managers of online game providers in order to help them understand their customers better. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.