What Makes Online Promotional Games Go Viral? Comparing the Impact of Player Skills versus Incentive Rewards on Game Recommendation

To encourage viral spread, companies attempt to create captivating and compelling online games. The current research examines the effects of requiring players to use skills when playing games versus rewarding players who recommend games to others.

What Makes Online Promotional Games Go Viral? Comparing the Impact of Player Skills versus Incentive Rewards on Game Recommendation

Damien Renard

Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

Denis Darpy

Université Paris-Dauphine, Paris, France

MANAGEMENT SLANT

  • Viral promotional games differ from sweepstakes, because they provide a sense of control by demanding that players make an effort, whether by inviting friends or by demonstrating skills.
  • Managers seeking to use social networks should provide entertaining content, and viral games appear particularly well matched with consumers’ expectations.
  • Calling on players’ skills seems to play an important role in the decision to...

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