Communication strategies in the video game ecosystem: a relational approach based on the analysis of channels and user profiles
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24137/raeic.13.26.8Keywords:
digital communication, videogames, digital engagement, digital platforms, value creation, videogame marketing, digital ecosystemsAbstract
The growing relevance of digital platforms has profoundly transformed communication strategies and value creation processes within the videogame industry, fostering the emergence of participatory ecosystems in which developers, content creators, and gaming communities continuously interact. In this context, the present study aims to examine the communicative functions performed by different digital platforms in the generation of digital engagement and to propose a relational model that explains value creation within the videogame communication ecosystem.
To achieve this objective, a qualitative comparative research design was adopted, based on a structured content analysis of 60 units of analysis drawn from TikTok and Twitch, corresponding to three representative videogames (Fortnite, League of Legends, and Genshin Impact). A purposive sampling strategy was employed, and a coding matrix was specifically developed to identify communicative functions, interaction patterns, and relational configurations among digital platforms, content creators, and gaming communities.
The findings reveal that the analysed platforms perform distinct yet complementary communicative functions within the digital ecosystem. While TikTok primarily supports content discovery and audience acquisition, Twitch facilitates evaluation, knowledge sharing, and community retention through more sustained and interactive forms of engagement. Based on the comparative analysis, three relational configurations: discovery, evaluation, and fidelisation were identified, providing the empirical foundation for a relational model that explains how interactions among platforms, content creators, and users contribute to digital engagement and value creation.
The main contribution of this study lies in the development of a conceptual framework that extends platform-centred approaches by conceptualising digital engagement as a relational and ecosystem-based process. The proposed model offers new theoretical insights for research on digital communication and videogame marketing, while also providing practical implications for the design of integrated multi-platform communication strategies aimed at strengthening user participation and fostering sustainable digital communities.
Downloads
References
Asociación Española de Videojuegos (AEVI). (2024). La industria del videojuego en España. Anuario 2024. https://aevi.org.es/download/la-industria-del-videojuego-en-espana-anuario-2024-2/
Brodie, R. J., Hollebeek, L. D., Juric, B., & Ilić, A. (2011). Customer engagement: Conceptual domain, fundamental propositions, and implications for research. Journal of Service Research, 14(3), 252–271. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670511411703
Calder, B. J., Isaac, M. S., & Malthouse, E. C. (2016). How to capture consumer experiences: A context-specific approach to measuring engagement. Journal of Advertising Research, 56(1), 39–52. https://doi.org/10.2501/JAR-2016-001
Dessart, L., Veloutsou, C., & Morgan-Thomas, A. (2015). Consumer engagement in online brand communities: A social media perspective. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 24(1), 28–42. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-06-2014-0635
Hamilton, W. A., Garretson, O., & Kerne, A. (2014). Streaming on Twitch. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1315–1324). https://doi.org/10.1145/2556288.2557048
Harrigan, P., Evers, U., Miles, M., & Daly, T. (2018). Customer engagement with tourism social media brands. Tourism Management, 59, 597–609. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2016.09.015
Hendricks, L., Matthyssens, P., & Kowalkowski, C. (2025). The co-evolution of actor engagement and value co-creation on digital platforms. International Journal of Production Economics, 279, 109467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2024.109467
Hollebeek, L. D., Kumar, V., & Srivastava, R. K. (2022). From customer-, to actor-, to stakeholder engagement: Taking stock, conceptualization, and future directions. Journal of Service Research, 25(2), 328–343. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670520977680
Hung, H.-Y., Kumar, A., Kumar, V., Lin, C.-C., & Tan, K. H. (2025). Exploring player cocreation dynamics on the gaming platform: Interplay of goal fulfillments, orchestration actions, and platform affordances. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 42(4), 1125–1142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.12.003
Jacobides, M. G., Cennamo, C., & Gawer, A. (2018). Towards a theory of ecosystems. Strategic Management Journal, 39(8), 2255–2276. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2904
Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence culture: Where old and new media collide. New York University Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt9qffwr
Johnson, M. R., & Woodcock, J. (2019). The impacts of live streaming and Twitch.tv on the video game industry. Media, Culture & Society, 41(5), 670–688. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443718818376
Kerr, A. (2023). Platform configurations in gaming. En A. M. Thorhauge, Games in the Platform Economy: Steam's Tangled Markets (pp. 20–38). Bristol University Press. https://doi.org/10.46692/9781529223064.002
Lim, W. M., Rasul, T., Kumar, S., & Ala, M. (2022). Past, present, and future of customer engagement. Journal of Business Research, 140, 439–458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.11.014
Newzoo. (2024). Global Games Market Report 2024. https://newzoo.com/resources/trend-reports/newzoos-global-games-market-report-2024-free-version
Nieborg, D. B., & Poell, T. (2018). The platformization of cultural production: Theorizing the contingent cultural commodity. New Media & Society, 20(11), 4275–4292. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818769694
Poell, T., Nieborg, D. B., & Duffy, B. E. (2022). Platforms and Cultural Production. Polity Press.
Prahalad, C. K., & Ramaswamy, V. (2004). Co‐creation experiences: The next practice in value creation. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 18(3), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1002/dir.20015
PwC. (2025). Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2025–2029. PricewaterhouseCoopers. https://www.pwc.com/us/en/industries/tmt/library/global-entertainment-media-outlook.html
Rasul, T., Nair, S., Palamidovska-Sterjadovska, N., Ladeira, W. J., Santini, F. O., & Elgammal, I. (2024). The evolution of customer engagement in the digital era for business: A review and future research agenda. Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science, 34(3), 325–348. https://doi.org/10.1080/21639159.2023.2275798
Sjöblom, M., & Hamari, J. (2017). Why do people watch others play video games? An empirical study on the motivations of Twitch users. Computers in Human Behavior, 75, 985–996. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.10.019
Thorhauge, A. M. (2023). Games in the Platform Economy: Steam's Tangled Markets. Bristol University Press. https://doi.org/10.56687/9781529223064
Tiwana, A. (2014). Platform ecosystems: Aligning architecture, governance, and strategy. Morgan Kaufmann. https://doi.org/10.1016/C2012-0-06625-2
Van Crombrugge, M., & Stremersch, S. (2025). Engagement in platform markets: A (video) game changer? Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 53(5), 1422–1446. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-025-01089-2
van Dijck, J., Poell, T., & de Waal, M. (2018). The platform society: Public values in a connective world. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190889760.001.0001
Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2004). Evolving to a new dominant logic for marketing. Journal of Marketing, 68(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.68.1.1.24036
Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2008). Service-dominant logic: Continuing the evolution. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 36(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-007-0069-6
Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2016). Institutions and axioms: An extension and update of service-dominant logic. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 44(1), 5–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-015-0456-3
Video Games Europe. (2024). Key Facts 2024: Video games in Europe. Video Games Europe. https://www.videogameseurope.eu/resources/key-facts-2024/
Vivek, S. D., Beatty, S. E., Dalela, V., & Morgan, R. M. (2014). A generalized multidimensional scale for measuring customer engagement. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 22(4), 401–420. https://doi.org/10.2753/MTP1069-6679220404
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Manuel Cortés Cuns
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
