User entrepreneurship in the video game industry: the role of communities

Purpose: This paper investigates the user entrepreneurship process in the video game industry, and how this process is influenced by the interactions between user entrepreneurs and communities. Design/methodology/approach: The paper presents an exploratory multiple case study on 17 firms founded in the video game industry by Italian users. Findings: The findings show that in most of the cases analysed, innovation by users precedes identification of the entrepreneurial opportunity. This research identifies three categories of communities that provide different forms of support to user entrepreneurs: communities of (1) gamers/users, (2) developers/innovators and (3) entrepreneurs. Given the different role played, the three categories of communities have a different relevance during the various phases of the innovation and entrepreneurial path: communities of gamers/users and of developers/innovators affect innovation development and opportunity identification, while communities of entrepreneurs help users to evolve from opportunity recognition to the start-up of a firm. Originality/value: This study investigates the video game industry, a context in which user entrepreneurship is under-researched and that is characterized by the intangible nature of the products (while previous studies have mainly focused on physical goods). It contributes to extant literature by revealing that, at the beginning of the end-user entrepreneurial process, there may be not only unmet needs but also “excitement-driven” innovations. Moreover, by analysing the whole entrepreneurial path, the study shows how three categories of communities (gamers/users, developers/innovators and entrepreneurs) provide different forms of support to user entrepreneurs in the different phases of the entrepreneurial process.