IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/tvecsg/v112y2021i3p256-273.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Market Expansion of Domestic Gaming Firms in Shenzhen, China: Dilemma of Globalisation and Regionalisation

Author

Listed:
  • Chun Yang
  • David Yuen‐Tung Chan

Abstract

China's domestic mobile gaming firms, such as Tencent, which has developed into the world's biggest gaming firm by revenues in a short span, have outweighed the leading counterparts in the Western advanced economies. Despite an increasing attention has been paid to the global investment of Chinese gaming firms, this paper argues that their market expansion has focused on the selected Southeast Asian countries. This arguement is developed through the aurthors' extensive field investigation and personal interviews with games developers and publishers in Shenzhen, where Tencent is located, during the early 2017 and late 2019. We showcase that the protective multi‐scalar institutions in which the Chinese gaming firms have dominated in the domestic market, have prevented the overseas market expansion of these firms. Although the government‐designated extra‐local inter‐firm collaboration has helped narrow the technological gaps and articulate China’s firms into the global production networks, the market gaps between the domestic and western economies have not been overcome in the expansion to overseas markets. This study sheds light on that the market expansion of Chinese gaming firms has stucked in a dilemma between globalization and regionalization. While China’s domestic gaming firms, particularly Tencent, have been evolving into lead firms in the global games production networks, their market power has been confined at domestic and regional levels.

Suggested Citation

  • Chun Yang & David Yuen‐Tung Chan, 2021. "Market Expansion of Domestic Gaming Firms in Shenzhen, China: Dilemma of Globalisation and Regionalisation," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 112(3), pages 256-273, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:tvecsg:v:112:y:2021:i:3:p:256-273
    DOI: 10.1111/tesg.12459
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/tesg.12459
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/tesg.12459?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stuart Dawley & Danny MacKinnon & Robert Pollock, 2019. "Creating strategic couplings in global production networks: regional institutions and lead firm investment in the Humber region, UK," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 19(4), pages 853-872.
    2. Loren Brandt & Eric Thun, 2011. "Going mobile in China: shifting value chains and upgrading in the mobile telecom sector," International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 4(1/2/3), pages 148-180.
    3. Neil M. Coe & Peter Dicken & Martin Hess, 2008. "Global production networks: realizing the potential," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 8(3), pages 271-295, May.
    4. Coe, Neil M. & Yeung, Henry Wai-chung, 2015. "Global Production Networks: Theorizing Economic Development in an Interconnected World," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198703914.
    5. repec:bla:devpol:v:25:y:2007:i:4:p:417-428 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Patrick Cohendet & David Grandadam & Chahira Mehouachi & Laurent Simon, 2018. "The local, the global and the industry common: the case of the video game industry," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 18(5), pages 1045-1068.
    7. Scott, Allen J., 2010. "Cultural economy and the creative field of the city," MPRA Paper 32108, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Huiwen Gong & Robert Hassink, 2019. "Developing the Shanghai online games industry: A multi‐scalar institutional perspective," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(3), pages 1006-1025, September.
    9. Gernot Grabher & Oliver Ibert & Saskia Flohr, 2008. "The Neglected King: The Customer in the New Knowledge Ecology of Innovation," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 84(3), pages 253-280, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Robert Hassink & Chun Yang, 2021. "Editorial: Creative industries at the intersection between local agglomeration, national regulation, and global networks," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 112(3), pages 217-219, July.
    2. Carles Manera & Eloi Serrano, 2022. "Management, Cooperatives and Sustainability: A New Methodological Proposal for a Holistic Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-16, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ron Boschma, 2021. "Global Value Chains from an Evolutionary Economic Geography perspective: a research agenda," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2134, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Nov 2021.
    2. Margareet Visser & Matthew Alford, 2024. "Governance and Power Across Intersecting Value Chains: The Case of South African Apples," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 189(1), pages 69-86, January.
    3. Hugues Jeannerat & Leila Kebir, 2012. "Mobility of Knowledge. Knowledge resources and markets: What territorial economic systems ?," GRET Publications and Working Papers 02-12, GRET Group of Research in Territorial Economy, University of Neuchâtel.
    4. Gavin Bridge & Alexander Dodge, 2022. "Regional assets and network switching: shifting geographies of ownership, control and capital in UK offshore oil [Temporality and the evolution of GPNs: remaking BHP’s Pilbara iron ore network]," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 15(2), pages 367-388.
    5. Bhushan Praveen Jangam & Badri Narayan Rath, 2021. "Do global value chains enhance or slog economic growth?," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(36), pages 4148-4165, August.
    6. Xiaofei Chen & Enru Wang & Jianfeng Guo & Changhong Miao, 2021. "Location choice and spatial distribution of the electronic information manufacturing industry in China," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(3), pages 1410-1439, September.
    7. Enru Wang & Changhong Miao & Xiaofei Chen, 2022. "Circular Economy and the Changing Geography of International Trade in Plastic Waste," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-19, November.
    8. Huiwen Gong & Robert Hassink & Cassandra Wang, 2021. "Strategic coupling and regional resilience in times of uncertainty: the industrial chain chief model in Zhejiang, China," PEGIS geo-disc-2021_06, Institute for Economic Geography and GIScience, Department of Socioeconomics, Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    9. Ernesto Noronha & Premilla D’Cruz & Muneeb Ul Lateef Banday, 2020. "Navigating Embeddedness: Experiences of Indian IT Suppliers and Employees in the Netherlands," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 164(1), pages 95-113, June.
    10. McWilliam, Sarah E. & Kim, Jung Kwan & Mudambi, Ram & Nielsen, Bo Bernhard, 2020. "Global value chain governance: Intersections with international business," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(4).
    11. Hugues Jeannerat, 2013. "Staging experience, valuing authenticity: Towards a market perspective on territorial development," GRET Publications and Working Papers 05-13, GRET Group of Research in Territorial Economy, University of Neuchâtel.
    12. Liena Kano & Eric W. K. Tsang & Henry Wai-chung Yeung, 2020. "Global value chains: A review of the multi-disciplinary literature," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(4), pages 577-622, June.
    13. Fuenfschilling, Lea & Binz, Christian, 2018. "Global socio-technical regimes," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(4), pages 735-749.
    14. Cheng-Yi Lin, 2014. "The Evolution of Taipei’s Music Industry: Cluster and Network Dynamics in the Innovation Practices of the Music Industry," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(2), pages 335-354, February.
    15. Jiawei Wu & Yehua Dennis Wei & Qizhai Li & Feng Yuan, 2018. "Economic Transition and Changing Location of Manufacturing Industry in China: A Study of the Yangtze River Delta," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-28, July.
    16. Yoruk, Deniz E., 2019. "Dynamics of firm-level upgrading and the role of learning in networks in emerging markets," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 341-369.
    17. Xinyu Yang & Weidong Liu, 2022. "Agricultural Production Networks and Upgrading from a Global–Local Perspective: A Review," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-14, October.
    18. Helwing Veronique & Verfürth Philip & Franz Martin, 2023. "Trucking (un)limited – the impact of digital platforms on labour in production networks of logistics," ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, De Gruyter, vol. 67(4), pages 177-188, December.
    19. Marcel P Timmer & Sébastien Miroudot & Gaaitzen J de Vries, 2019. "Functional specialisation in trade," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 19(1), pages 1-30.
    20. Panagiotis Iliopoulos & Giorgos Galanis & Ashok Kumar & Lilit Popoyan, 2020. "The Power of Sectoral Geographical Centrality in Global Production," LEM Papers Series 2020/12, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:tvecsg:v:112:y:2021:i:3:p:256-273. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0040-747X .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.