Citation
Seo, Young-nam. Kim, Minkyung. Lee, Doohwang. Jung, Younbo. (2018). Attention to eSports advertisements: effects of ad animation and in-game dynamics on viewers’ visual attention. Behavior & Information Technology.
Patten, Mildred. L., & Newhart, Michelle. (2018). Understanding Research Methods: An Overview of the Essentials. (10th ed). Routledge.
Abstract
ESports refers to professional video gaming that is typically broadcasted with a live commentary on TV or the Internet. Despite the rapid growth of eSports industry and its potential for a valuable advertising platform, there has not been much discussion about effective advertising strategies for the placement of virtual ads in eSports. Based on previous research, one advertisement factor (i.e. ad animation) and one in-game factor (i.e. in-game dynamics) are identified and tested in an experiment (N = 116) with a 2 (ad animation: static vs. animated ads) × 2 (in-game dynamics: battle vs. non-battle scenes) mixed design. The results show that both ad animation and in-game dynamics have a significant impact on viewers’ visual attention, in terms of fixation count and duration measured by an eye-tracking device. The results also show a significant interaction in which the impact of ad animation on fixation duration is more magnified when in-game play is less busy (i.e. non-battle scenes), compared to when it is busy (i.e. battle scenes). Theoretical implications based on the limited-capacity model, as well as practical implications for practitioners are discussed.
Experimental or Non-experimental?
The study is experimental. They tested and recorded the various visual fixations of 114 test subjects while watching an Esports broadcast clip to see the difference in appeal between static and animated ads. The study by (Seo, Young-nam. Kim, Minkyung. Lee, Doohwang. Jung, Younbo, 2018, p. 5) provides a visual heatmap to help show the results of their experiment and the differences between static and animated ads.
Qualitative or Quantitative?
Due to the research being completely observational with tracking the eye movement and gaze of somebody while watching a video we can say that this is qualitative.
Population Studied
The population that was being studied was 120 college students from a university in Korea ranging from 19 to 27 years of age.
Sample
The study then has these 120 randomly split into two random experimental conditions to which anyone who got less than a 70% gaze rate was cut from the study. This made 6 people get released and only 114 remained.
Method of Measurement
Researchers in this study used nonparticipant observations to help properly set up everything needed to record the subjects eye movements.
Method of Analysis
The researchers used a series of two way mixed analysis of variance with repeated measures for the hypotheses.
Conclusion
The information that is provided from this research shows that the far left and right sides of the screen are the most popular places for people to look for ads. Not only that but animated ads draw the eyes to them more than regular static ads.
How does this relate to me?
I am a media studies major and plan on trying to get into the esports industry in some way, so this type of information is something that is beneficial to keep in mind as it can help give me an idea of where the audiences eyes could be during a live esports broadcast.
How to extend
Something that I think that could easily be improved upon is just the setting of where the test takes place. Esports is very well established in South Korea and so this study being done in the United States or Europe could be beneficial in terms of improving ad revenue.
It is nice to see where views look for ads most often. I am interested in affiliate marketing, so knowing where my ads will be seen the most in the future is very nice to know. Also, it is nice to know that putting in extra effort on animated ads is worth it for better attraction!