The video game industry generates global engagement and revenue, with loyalty in multiplayer games driven primarily by social and virtual identities. Cooperative-competitive games foster inter-group bias, where favoritism toward one’s team and discriminatory perceptions of rival teams strengthen player attachment. This study examines how dual identities interact with social comparison to sustain loyalty.
Drawing on Social Identity Theory and IT Identity theory, the study proposes a conceptual model in which inter-group bias, expressed as in-group favoritism and out-group discrimination, is shaped by identification with gaming teammates and identification with the online game, and in turn influences gaming loyalty.
The research comprises two studies. Study 1 uses qualitative interview with online gamers to develop conceptual definitions and measurement items for new constructs. Study 2 validates these measures using data from 140 Prolific respondents and then tests the full model with a separate sample of 295 respondents.
Gaming community identity drives in-group favoritism, which boosts conative but limits action loyalty, while online game identity enhances conative loyalty and amplifies out-group discrimination. Demographics and game genre have no effect, indicating loyalty is shaped primarily by game-related identities and inter-group dynamics.

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