Exploring Players’ in-Game Purchase Intention in Freemium Open-World Games: The Role of Cognitive Absorption and Motivational Affordances

Abstract

Freemium open-world games have become one of the most profitable game genres through the sale of in-game items. However, despite the apparent commercial success of the freemium approach to open-world games, the antecedents of players’ in-game purchase intention have been understudied. In this study, we built a theoretical framework based on cognitive absorption (CA) theory to understand the mechanism underlying players’ in-game purchase intention in open-world games. Several hypotheses were proposed regarding how CA was formed and how CA’s influence on in-game purchase intention might be moderated by motivational affordances (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness). These hypotheses were tested by partial least-squares structural equation modeling, using a sample of 490 valid responses among open-world game players. The results suggest that CA significantly increased players’ in-game purchase intention, which is strengthened by two motivational affordances (i.e., autonomy and competence). In addition, personal innovativeness, playfulness, and perceived affective quality are verified as important determinants of CA in open-world games. We discuss the related theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

Acknowledgment

We thank the anonymous reviewers and editors for their helpful comments on the manuscript. The study is supported by the National Science Foundation of China (grant numbers 72074112 and 71774083) and the Funds of Humanities and Social Sciences for the Central Universities (grant number B220201054).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yuxiang Chris Zhao

Yuxiang Chris Zhao is a professor at the School of Economics and Management, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, China.

Dawei Wu

Dawei Wu is a Ph.D. student at the School of Economics and Management, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, China.

Shijie Song

Shijie Song is an assistant professor at the Business School, Hohai University, China, and a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Information Management, Wuhan University, China.

Xinlin Yao

Xinlin Yao is an associate professor at the Business School, Nankai University, China.