Antecedents of Gacha gaming intention: Extending UTAUT2 with structural video game characteristics

Abstract

Mobile gacha games, featuring chance-based virtual item collections and lottery-like mechanics, have become immensely popular among global youth. Therefore, many game developers are developing new gacha games or implementing gacha mechanics into existing games to capture this trend. To fill the existing research gap, this article proposes an extended model for video game acceptance derived from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) combined with structural video game characteristics (SVGC) and psychological factors like perceived enjoyment and trust. It addresses the crucial factors driving players' intention to continue playing gacha games and fills the gap in developer-centric research. Leveraging the PLS-SEM algorithm, IPMA analysis, and the data from active Indonesian gamers (N = 300), this study highlights the substantial impact of SVGC features (presentation, reward, control/manipulation) on gacha gamers' perceived enjoyment. Moreover, hedonic motivation, habit, and trust in game developers emerge as key antecedents of continuance gaming intention. These findings refine our understanding of gacha game acceptance and have potential avenues for broader gaming research. It presents valuable insights for scholars and game developers to enhance the gaming experience by incorporating relevant structural characteristics and fostering important psychological factors that drive continuance gaming intention.

Keywords

• Gaming
• Technology acceptance
• Video game adoption
• Gacha games
• Structural game characteristics
• UTAUT2