Factors influencing real-money purchases of virtual goods in first person shooter games

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of key factors, including social interaction, skills, challenges, achievements, and focused attention, on gamers’ purchase intention of virtual goods in Counter-Strike 2. It examines how achieving “flow” impacts purchase intention, with continuous usage intention as a mediator. It also explores the effects of attitudes toward virtual goods and the monetary value of hitting the jackpot on purchase intention. Using purposive sampling, data were collected from 330 participants through Google Forms distributed across social media platforms and analyzed via the PLS-SEM method. The results indicate that social interaction, skills, and focused attention positively affect flow, which partially mediates its effect on purchase intention through long-term usage intention. Additionally, attitudes toward virtual goods (β = 0.288, p < 0.01) and the monetary value of jackpot rewards (β = 0.399, p < 0.01) significantly influence purchase intention.