Abstract:

Today, one of the most important advances which came to our life with information technologies is online games. Market cap of online gaming industry increases day by day. Users in-game purchases is one of the most important sources of revenue for game companies. The aim of this study is to investigate the factors and motivators effecting consumers’ in-game purchase decisions. The study is conducted on undergraduate students who are playing online games on regular basis. Convenience sampling method was used in this research. The research model examines the effect of factors need for advancement, satisfaction with the game, perceived playfulness, and social self-image expression on online game players in-game purchase intention using structural equation modeling. The results indicate the positive effect of satisfaction with the game, perceived playfulness, and social self-image expression have a positive effect on purchase intention while need for advancement has a negative effect. This study contributes current literature on virtual purchase behaviors of gamers as consumers in today’s world. Game companies and publishers must understand the factors driving users to spend real money on a virtual world.

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