A study of player behavior and motivation to purchase Dota 2 virtual in game items
ISSN: 0368-492X
Article publication date: 19 January 2022
Issue publication date: 19 May 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The goal of this study is to examine the factors (e.g. enjoyment, skills, challenge, telepresence and flow) that influence players’ purchase intention toward Dota 2 virtual in-game as well as examine the effect of flow toward purchase intention of Dota 2 through the critical mechanism (i.e. continuous intention). Notably, the analysis of the moderating role of enjoyment of buying on the relation of (a) flow and purchase intention of Dota 2 in-game, as well as (b) between flow continuous intention and finally (c) between continuous intention purchase intention of Dota 2.
Design/methodology/approach
The data were gained from 331 users using Google Forms and posted to respondents on social media platforms and forums such as Facebook and Reddit, as these websites have the closest reach to gamers.
Findings
The study revealed that enjoyment, skill, challenge and telepresence have a positive effect on flow. Also, the flow was significantly related to purchase intention. The continuous intention has significantly mediated the relationship between flow and purchase intention. Importantly, this study found that the moderating role of buying enjoyment increases the relationship between flow and purchase intention (H7a) and between continuous intention and purchase intention (H7c). In contrast, the moderating role of buying enjoyment on the relationship between flow and continuous intention (H7b) was not supported. Hence, this study sheds a new light on the notable Dota 2 in-game and continuous intention purchase intention of the users.
Originality/value
In response, this study's main research question can be highlighted on testing how enjoyment, skills, challenge, telepresence, in-game virtual items influence purchasing intention when the enjoyment of buying moderates the proposed relationship? Therefore, this study aims to examine the significant elements like enjoyment, skills, challenge telepresence toward flow, and subsequently, the effect of flow toward purchase intention of Dota 2 in-game through continuous intention as a key mechanism which is urgently needed to minimize the gap in-game virtual items literature. Significantly, this study also intends to explore the contingent role of enjoyment of buying on the relation of flow and purchase intention of Dota-2 in-game, as well as between flow and continuous intention and finally between continuous intention and purchase intention.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Ethical approval: All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Conflict of interest: All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
The authors would like to thank the Editor-in-Chief Prof. Gandolfo Dominici and the anonymous reviewers for their very helpful and constructive comments and guidance on earlier versions of this manuscript.
Funding: There was no funding for this research project.
Citation
Ghazali, E.M., Al Halbusi, H., Abdel Fattah, F.A.M., Hossain Uzir, M.U., Mutum, D.S. and Tan, F.-L. (2023), "A study of player behavior and motivation to purchase Dota 2 virtual in game items", Kybernetes, Vol. 52 No. 6, pp. 1937-1961. https://doi.org/10.1108/K-08-2021-0678
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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