Zaltman의 은유추출기법을 활용한 대규모 다중접속 온라인 롤플레잉 게임 이용동기 연구

Abstract

본 연구는 2000년대 들어 지속적인 성장을 하고 있는 온라인게임 산업에서 가장 높은 시장점유율과 사용시간 점유율을 가지는 MMORPG 이용 고객의 무의식속에 내재되어있는 이용 동기를 알아보기 위하여 정성적 조사기법인 ZMET을 이용하여 연구를 수행하였다. ZMET은 관여도가 높은 응답자를 요구하므로 MMORPG 플레이 경험과 기간이 긴 응답자를 선정하였다. 인터뷰는 2010년 10월 18일부터 11월 18일 까지 약 한달 동안 실시하였으며 그 분석 결과는 다음과 같다. ZMET은 응답자들이 수집한 이미지를 가지고 10단계의 유도대화를 수행하였다. 유도대화를 거쳐 도출된 응답자들의 이용 동기 항목은 ‘친구와 함께 하는’, ‘성취감을 얻는’, ‘현실의 연장선상에 있는’, ‘자부심을 얻는’, ‘스트레스가 풀리는’, ‘부담 없는’, ‘여유로운’, ‘자유’, ‘새로운 사람을 만나는’, ‘즐거운’, ‘일상생활을 탈피하는’, ‘협동하는’, ‘자기 과시적’, ‘지속되는’, ‘개성이 나타나는’, ‘탐험하는’, ‘추억을 느끼고 싶은’ 17개 항목으로 나타났고 공유개념도를 그려 도출된 핵심 구성 개념으로는 ‘친구와 함께하는’, ‘성취감을 얻는’, ‘현실의 연장선상에 있는’, ‘스트레스를 해소하는’ 4개의 개념이 도출 되었다. 도출된 4개의 핵심개념 중에서 ‘성취감을 얻는’과 ‘스트레스 해소하는’은 기존의 연구에서도 도출된 이용 동기였고 ‘친구와 함께하는’, ‘현실의 연장선상에 있는’의 이미지는 이번 조사를 통해 새로 나타난 이용 동기로서 많은 응답자들이 오프라인의 사회적 관계를 중요시하며 MMORPG를 현실의 연장선상으로 인식하면서 긍정적인 영향을 주고 있음을 알 수 있었다. 이러한 연구결과는 기존의 선행연구들과 달리 MMORPG 이용 고객의 내재되어 있는 동기에 대한 탐색적인 연구로서 의미를 가진다. 향후 정량적인 연구방법을 동반하여 보다 객관적인 결과를 얻거나 MMORPG 이용 고객의 연령별 혹은 온라인게임 장르별 이용 동기 비교 연구 등의 활발한 연구를 기대해본다.| This study was executed using ZMET (Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique), a qualitative research method, to identify motives underlying in subconscious for the use of MMORPG. Because ZMET requires highly involved respondents, respondents with long-term and much experience in MMORPG playing were selected as the interviewees. The interview was carried out for about a month from October 18, 2010 to November 18, 2010. The result was analyzed as below. With ZMET, 10 step guided conversation was performed with the images collected by the respondents. 17 items for respondents' motives for use were drawn from guided conversation of ZMET. They were 'playing with friends', 'feeling a sense of accomplishment', 'being in an extension of reality', 'gaining pride', 'relieving stress', 'being burdenless', 'relaxing', 'feeling free', 'meeting new people', 'being pleased', 'breaking away from the daily routine', 'cooperating', 'self-displaying', 'is continuing', 'showing personality', 'exploring' and 'wanting to bring back old memories'. 4 core composing concepts were drawn from the shared concepts chart. They were 'playing with friends', 'feeling a sense of accomplishment', 'being in an extension of reality' and 'relieving stress'. Among 4 drawn core concepts, 'feeling a sense of accomplishment' and 'relieving stress' were also drawn in precedent studies, and 'playing with friends' and 'being in an extension of reality' were newly drawn in this research. It showed that many respondents consider off-line social relationship importantly and MMORPG as an extension of reality. In other words, MMORPG gave positive influences to respondents instead of harms of addiction. This study is meaningful because it searched underlying motives of MMORPG users unlike precedent studies. Active studies to bring more objective results with quantitative research methods or to compare motives for use by age of MMORPG users or by genres of online games are expected in the future.; This study was executed using ZMET (Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique), a qualitative research method, to identify motives underlying in subconscious for the use of MMORPG. Because ZMET requires highly involved respondents, respondents with long-term and much experience in MMORPG playing were selected as the interviewees. The interview was carried out for about a month from October 18, 2010 to November 18, 2010. The result was analyzed as below. With ZMET, 10 step guided conversation was performed with the images collected by the respondents. 17 items for respondents' motives for use were drawn from guided conversation of ZMET. They were 'playing with friends', 'feeling a sense of accomplishment', 'being in an extension of reality', 'gaining pride', 'relieving stress', 'being burdenless', 'relaxing', 'feeling free', 'meeting new people', 'being pleased', 'breaking away from the daily routine', 'cooperating', 'self-displaying', 'is continuing', 'showing personality', 'exploring' and 'wanting to bring back old memories'. 4 core composing concepts were drawn from the shared concepts chart. They were 'playing with friends', 'feeling a sense of accomplishment', 'being in an extension of reality' and 'relieving stress'. Among 4 drawn core concepts, 'feeling a sense of accomplishment' and 'relieving stress' were also drawn in precedent studies, and 'playing with friends' and 'being in an extension of reality' were newly drawn in this research. It showed that many respondents consider off-line social relationship importantly and MMORPG as an extension of reality. In other words, MMORPG gave positive influences to respondents instead of harms of addiction. This study is meaningful because it searched underlying motives of MMORPG users unlike precedent studies. Active studies to bring more objective results with quantitative research methods or to compare motives for use by age of MMORPG users or by genres of online games are expected in the future.