How high brand loyalty consumers achieve relationships with virtual worlds and its elements through presence

ABSTRACT Presence is linked to the relationship between consumers‘ sought after uses and gratifications to ultimately gain media consumption experiences. As consumers pursue uses and gratifications from video game play, they may seek out media consumption experiences that engage their senses and bodily responses, thus resulting in a collection of experiences with a select video game brand, such as Assassin’s Creed, and potential solidification of brand loyalty towards a select video game brand. Hence, this study was interested in (a) uses and gratifications particular to high brand loyalty consumers (referred to as HBL consumers), (b) how HBL consumers’ media consumption experiences are impacted by brand personality traits of video games, and (c) their virtual parasocial relationships with virtual characters and environments.