Why do Chinese people consume video game live streaming on the platform? An exploratory study connecting affordance-based gratifications, user identification, and user engagement

Game live streaming has become a flourishing phenomenon worldwide, yet research has primarily focused on understanding user consumption behavior from a socio-psychological perspective, neglecting the role of technological affordances. This study addresses this gap by proposing a theoretical framework that integrates affordance-based gratifications, user identification, and user engagement. Drawing upon the uses and gratifications theory, social media engagement theory, and social identity theory, we conducted a survey with 565 participants in mainland China. The findings reveal that interactivity-based gratifications significantly influence both preliminary and further levels of engagement, while modality-based gratifications primarily impact preliminary engaging behaviors. Furthermore, user identification acts as a mediating factor in the relationship between affordance-based gratifications and engagement. These results offer valuable empirical evidence for scholars and practitioners to consider technological factors and streamers’ roles while examining user engagement on game live streaming platforms. The study suggests enhancing interactivity functions and emphasizing the role of live streamers to foster user engagement. By understanding the importance of technological affordances, this research contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of engagement in the game live streaming industry.