모바일 게임에 대한 이용자 선호도 연구 「카카오게임」의 게임 유형 및 놀이 장르를 중심으로

Abstract

This study categorized a total of 107 Kakao games into 10 game types based on game popularity and downloading ranks as of April 1, 2013, classified each game according to specific elements by adopting the four play genres suggested by Roger Caillois, and finally analyzed the relationship of game types and play genres with game popularity and downloading ranks (i.e., user preference). To do this, six research questions were asked and game contents were analyzed quantitatively. Results showed that, first, among various types of games both puzzle games and simulation games had higher frequencies than others. Second, means of play genres of 107 games indicated that the mean of Agon elements was higher than those of following Mimicry and Alea elements. The game type with the highest mean of Agon elements was the edutainment game, that with the highest mean of Alea elements was the role-playing game, and that with the highest mean of Mimicry elements was the adventure game. However, Ilinx-based games didn't exist. Third, as for the popularity ranking depending on the game type, many games in the category of the adventure and role-playing games were in the high ranks, while any in the category of edutainment games was not in the high ranks at all. Fourth, the most frequently downloaded games were in the type of edutainment games, and adventure, arcade, strategic simulation, and role-playing games followed. Fifth, the correlation analyses between play-genre characteristics and both popularity and downloading ranks revealed that the game with the higher popularity contained the lower level of Agon elements, while the game with the higher frequency of downloads had the higher level of Agon element. It is inferred that game users preferred such games with Agon elements, although they did not enjoyed these games much in reality. The results of this study have a significance of an academic approach for the user preference of mobile games in terms of game types and play genres; at the same time they were desired to be used as basic data in order for the mobile game industry to develop new games afterwards.