Factors Influencing Continuous Intention to play Online Games among Gamers using Uses and Gratification Theory: The Mediating Role of Gamer Satisfaction

Abstract

It is a challenge for online game vendors to retain the online game players as they found an alternate game to satisfy their gratifications. The study is conducted on behavioral intentions of on line gamers that lead them to play on line games. The purpose of the study is to explore behavior towards online game players in the Pakistani context. The study determines what attributes leads the online game players to play games continuously. This study is based on uses and gratification theory and three types of gratifications are used: Uti I itarian gratification (Challenge and achievement), hedon ic gratification (Enjoyment and Escapism). and Social I gratification (Subjective norms) with a mediator is introduced named as gamer satisfaction. The total number of respondents in this study an: 40 I and the data is collcclt~d from both online (google forms) and offline (questionnaire distributed by self-administration approach) survey and the sample size is drawn through convenient sampling technique. The dat<1 is collected from the online game players in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Study shows the positive effect of challenge, achievement, enjoyment. escapism and subjective norms on continuous inll'ntion to play games and there is the mediating role of gamer satisfaction lo retain the on line game players.