Factors Influence Real-Money Purchases Of Virtual Goods In First-Person Shooter Games

Abstract

Online FPS games are witnessing fierce competition among video game producers. Many games have failed and were eventually forced to close due to their inability to attract players, who can be monetized through in-game purchase to foster the success of the game. Therefore, the purpose of study is to investigate the influence of several factors (such as social interaction, skill, challenge, achievement, focused attention) on gamers’ real money purchase intention of virtual goods in Counter Strike 2. It also examines the how achieving flow state impacts intention to make purchases, with continuous usage intention serve as mediated role. Specially, the influence of attitude toward virtual goods and monetary value for hitting the jackpot on real money purchase intention also explored. The study utilized PLS-SEM modelling with data collected from 330 participants via Google form, which were distributed gaming group on Facebook. The results reveal that social interaction, skill, focused attention have a positive correlation with flow state. Also, influence of flow on real money purchase intention was mediated partially by continuous usage intention. In addition, attitude toward virtual goods and monetary value for hitting the jackpot significantly impacted on real money purchase intention.