The purpose of this study was to review the reasons why the existing bowling alleys were transformed into rock-bowling alleys and investigate the social meanings implicated in these reasons. To achieve these study objectives, the phenomenological study which is one of the qualitative researches was selected. As the study subjects, 6 persons among those who knew the overall system of rock-bowling alleys well were selected by purposeful sampling which is one of non-probability sampling methods. Using the in-depth interview and related data collection, the data were collected, and text analysis was performed with these data. Data reliability was secured by triangulation, advices and comments from peer researchers, and reviews among members during the data collection and analysis processes. The results are as follows.
The found reasons to transform into rock-bowling alleys were stabilization and riding the trend, low investment and high return, and decrease of bowling club members. First, it was stabilization and riding the trend. Through the owners who determined to be the trend, the number of rock-bowling alleys was increased, and it was established as a trend according to the increase of its awareness by mass communication and so on. Also, taking this trend, the owners of the existing bowling alleys had been appeared to change into rock-bowling alleys. Second, low investment and high return. Since the rock-bowling alleys can make more profit with lower investment than the existing bowling alleys, the existing owners changed theirs into rock-bowling alleys. Third, it was decline of bowling club members. The existing bowling alleys that had the club members as the main customers should secure new customers upon lowering number of club members. Hence, transformations into rock-bowling were appeared to secure new customers.
The social meanings implicated in the reasons to change into rock-bowling alleys were entertainment-oriented trend, conversion into multi-purpose sports arena, and transformation into public sport that everyone can enjoy. First, it was entertainment-oriented trend. According to the changes of the times, more people pursue the joy, which showed the changes of bowling alleys to meet their tastes. Second, it was conversion into multi-purpose sports arena. Initially, the reason to increase the subsidiary facilities was the tool to hold the waiting customers, however, they had been positioned as one of the advantages to perceive rock-bowling alleys not simply as the sports space but as the multi-purpose arena. Third, it was transformation into public sport that everyone could enjoy. It was difficult for the novices to participate in the games due to the skill gap and open space in the existing bowling alleys, while novices could participate in the games in the rock-bowling alleys due to dumbing down of the skill under the dark light. Also, participation in the games in the rock bowling alleys resulted in the desire to learn about bowling professionally to affect its popularization.