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ITP
32,3 Exploring player behavior
and motivations to continue
playing Pokémon GO
646 Ezlika Ghazali
Department of Marketing, Faculty of Business and Accountancy,
Received 12 July 2017
Revised 6 April 2018 University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Accepted 18 May 2018
Dilip S. Mutum
Business School, University of Nottingham,
Semenyih, Malaysia, and
Mei-Yuen Woon
Faculty of Business and Accountancy, University of Malaya,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the determinants of players’ continuance intentions to
play Pokémon GO (PG) and ultimately make in-app purchases, mainly from the perspectives of psychological,
social and gaming motivational factors.
Design/methodology/approach – The research model was empirically assessed based on 362 validated
responses from current players of PG in Malaysia. Analysis was carried out using the partial least squares
path modeling method.
Findings – The results indicated that enjoyment, network externalities, community involvement and the
need-to-collect significantly influence players’ continuance intention. Furthermore, the findings reveal that
flow and nostalgia have indirect effects on players’ continuance intention, which in turn significantly
influences their purchase intention.
Originality/value – This study provides empirical support for an integrated model for understanding the
antecedents of the players’ behavioral intentions that incorporates psychological, social and gaming
motivational factors in the context of an augmented reality mobile game.
Keywords Behavioural theories, Virtual purchases, Technology adoption, Augmented reality
Paper type Research paper

1. Introduction
The advent of various mobile gaming technologies and rapid improvements in mobile
broadband networks has opened up new opportunities and possibilities for the thriving
mobile games industry. One of the most recent developments has been the growing
popularity of augmented reality (AR) mobile games. AR is defined as a technique that
displays virtual content superimposed upon real-life objects (Tan et al., 2015). AR
technology allows virtual objects to be superimposed upon or composited with the real
world (Azuma, 1997). AR is used in a wide array of applications in a number of fields,
including education, medical procedures, manufacturing, marketing, entertainment and
tourism (Kim and Hyun, 2016; Ko et al., 2013).
Pokémon GO (PG) offers a new gaming experience for players by using a smartphone’s
Global Positioning System to enable a location-based AR environment where the players must
physically move in order to progress in the game (Niantic, 2016). The interactive AR features
Information Technology & People and physical activity elements make PG different from other mobile games and turned it into a
Vol. 32 No. 3, 2019
pp. 646-667
global craze. In fact, it was ranked as the most downloaded game app in the Apple App and
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0959-3845
Google Play stores in 2016 (Hollister, 2017). The game recorded 21 million daily active users in
DOI 10.1108/ITP-07-2017-0216 the USA, beating the previous record holder, Candy Crush Saga (Himanshu, 2016). PG is further
reported to have earned USD600 million in revenue in 90 days, whereas Candy Crush Saga took Player
more than 200 days to earn that amount (Hollister, 2017). behavior in
Studies have shown that gamers play for different reasons (Yee, 2006), and different Pokémon GO
game designs generate different outcomes (Lee and Wohn, 2012). Mobile game users have a
choice from a wide variety of mobile games with the Apple App and Google Play stores
releasing several new games regularly. In addition to facing the underlying uphill challenge
of attracting and retaining players, game providers must also sustain the existence of a 647
game by generating revenue from selling virtual game enhancements and objects. In the
highly competitive mobile game market, and in the free-to-play business model, profits are
becoming increasingly difficult to achieve. The success and sustainability of these games
have always depended on engaging and retaining players who are willing to consistently
invest their time as well as money into the game. However, as opposed to online games
played on PCs, mobile games are different because of the limitations of screen size.
Moreover, the games are mostly free to download and play with game developers making
money from the in-app purchases. However, past studies have not really examined this
aspect of in-app purchase intentions. The major concern for developers of free-to-play
mobile games is with regards to increasing and retaining their user base and generating
more revenue through in-app purchases. Thus, understanding the factors influencing the
gamers’ intentions to continue playing and, more important, their intention to make in-app
purchases is extremely important if these games are to become sustainable.
Within the context of the AR mobile PG game, this research outlines an integrated
framework to examine the antecedents of players’ continuance intention, specifically the
psychological, social and motivational factors. First, the psychological perspective of
players’ intention is explored through uses and gratifications (U&G) theory, enjoyment
perception and flow experience. The U&G theory is used to identify the motivational factors
and gratifications that drive users to choose a particular medium, especially new media
technologies. The paper proposes an integrated and holistic framework, which not only
breaks down the U&G framework into four component variables (namely, achievement,
challenge, escapism and social interaction) but also extends the framework to include and
examine the interplay of social influences and motivational factors to predict continuance
intention and ultimately leading to purchase intentions.
Players generally develop interest and choose to involve themselves in gameplay to satisfy
a wide range of needs. More importantly, games are played for enjoyment. Previous studies
have consistently found that enjoyment is relevant to continued use (Lee and Tsai, 2010;
Merikivi et al., 2017). In addition, flow experience has been identified as one of the several
factors that explain players’ behavior in mobile game contexts. Flow is characterized as total
absorption in an activity (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990), and this condition usually occurs when
players reach a critical level of engagement with a game (Liu and Chang, 2016; Admiraal et al.,
2011; Wang and Chen, 2010). Therefore, this study aims to examine the effect of players’
motivation on both enjoyment and flow experience, which in turn influence their continuance
intention to play which may motivate them to spend money for in-app purchases.
Second, this study integrates the social perspective by considering network externalities
and community involvement to capture the influence of others in shaping players’
behavioral intentions. Network externality refers to the utility that the user derives from the
consumption of a product that increases with the number of users (Katz and Shapiro, 1985).
As PG became a global phenomenon, it immediately attracted a massive number of players
and made headlines across the world. This surge in the number of users creates more
communication opportunities for players and further enhances their perception of the game.
On the other hand, community involvement refers to the behaviors of sharing and obtaining
information from other users in the virtual world (Zhao et al., 2012). Previous studies have
not really examined these social aspects. For example, the social factors proposed in our
ITP study are quite distinct from social image as proposed by Lin and Bhattacherjee (2010).
32,3 Players tend to search for gaming tips and tricks on online community websites when faced
with obstacles in gameplay. This may improve players’ overall game experience and
facilitate their usage. Thus, this study examines the possible effect of network externalities
and online community involvement in enhancing players’ continuance intention which
consequently may lead to in-app purchases.
648 Third, this study examines gaming motivational factors that are unique to PG, including
nostalgia and the need-to-collect. Different authors have conceptualized nostalgia as an
affective state, mood or emotion that is somehow triggered by one’s thoughts of the past
(Muehling et al., 2014). Pokémon is a childhood memory for fans that grew up with the
franchise in the 1990s. The core element in this game is the collection of Pokémons. In addition
to embracing this original aspect of the game’s past, it provides an innovative experience that
allows players to explore an AR while collecting various Pokémon. The mission of collecting
Pokémons might stimulate players’ desire to collect and foster a sense of continuity. As
delivering a compelling experience to players is a key factor in retention, the effects of nostalgia
and the need-to-collect were considered as important factors influencing players’ continuance
intentions, which in this study is modeled as antecedent for players’ in-app purchases.
This study contributes to the existing literature in several ways. First, this study aims to
provide evidence that psychological, social and PG gaming motivational factors collectively
contribute to the positive engagement intention of players in the context of an AR mobile
game. Second, this study examines different forms of socially related influences, including
network externalities and community involvement. These social perspectives play an
important role in enhancing interpersonal relationships, which in turn affect players’
intentions. Third, this study advances the literature on mobile gaming by incorporating
nostalgia and the need-to-collect elements in explaining players’ continuance intention.
To the best of our knowledge, no study has yet attempted to explore these variables. Finally,
by proposing an integrated and holistic framework, the findings will offer game providers
some insights to help them develop more successful games based on players’ needs in order
to engage players, prolong their usage and motivates them to perform in-app purchases.

2. Literature review
2.1 Uses and gratifications theory
U&G theory provides a useful framework for understanding the gratifications or benefits that
attract and engage users of various types of media (Chaouali, 2016; Luo and Remus, 2014).
Gratification refers to the extent to which players’ motivations are satisfied based on their initial
experiences (Wu et al., 2010). According to U&G theory, people actively choose and use a
particular media based on their needs. These needs are derived from psychological and social
situations that produce motives that, in turn, influence media use (Katz et al., 1974; Weibull, 1985).
This theory has been used to study new media technologies (Cianfrone et al., 2011; Wohn and
Lee, 2013) such as personal websites, social networking sites, video games and online games.
Mobile games are considered to be a new, experience-oriented type of media that players choose
to engage in to satisfy their needs (Wei and Lu, 2014); thus, it is appropriate to apply the U&G
approach to current AR mobile game contexts.
Past research has demonstrated that when users’ needs or gratifications are satisfied by
using media, it could lead to favorable behavioral outcomes (e.g. Ang et al., 2015; Huang and
Hsieh, 2011; Ifinedo, 2016; Xu et al., 2012). Within the gaming context, past U&G studies
have identified various social and psychological factors that are associated with different
game genres. For example, Jin (2014) found that players seek entertainment, fantasy, the
challenge of competition and escapism when playing social network games (SNG).
Yee (2006) suggested that the motivation to play massive multiplayer online role-playing
games can be classified into three categories, including achievement, social and immersion.
A study of online games showed that multiple gratifications (i.e. achievement, enjoyment Player
and social interaction) had a significant effect on the player’s continued motivation to play behavior in
(Wu et al., 2010). These studies underline the suitability of incorporating U&G as the Pokémon GO
underlying theory to explain players’ psychological needs in association with their gaming
behaviors as it fits well with understanding how and why players obtain gratification
during their playing experience. Building on this theory and on extent literature, this study
has identified and proposes four U&G constructs, namely, achievement, challenge, escapism 649
and social interaction. These constructs are discussed in more detail below.
Achievement motivations for playing online games include the desires to gain power,
progress rapidly in the game, gather virtual game objects, gather valuable performance points
and compete with others (Wu et al., 2010). According to Merhi (2016), a major motive of
individuals engaging in online games is to satisfy a desire that they cannot achieve in the real
world or to show off their ability to other players. When they are able to achieve the given goals,
they feel satisfied and are more likely to continue playing. Similarly, while looking at online
video game (OVG) usage (termed as interactive hedonic system usage), Lin and Bhattacherjee
(2010) found that social image affected attitudes. They defined social image “as the extent to
which users may derive respect and admiration from peers in their social network as a result of
their IT usage” (Lin and Bhattacherjee, 2010, p. 167). Players usually enjoy the feeling of
accomplishment when they move up or advance to a higher level of gaming. For instance,
Puente-Díaz (2012) found that achievement significantly influenced players’ enjoyment.
Hoffman and Nadelson (2010) stated that when players try to achieve goals in a game, the
process fosters a flow experience and further enhances players’ motivational engagement.
The desire for achievement can provide players with personal fulfillment and a feeling of
pleasure. In addition, acquiring achievements requires players to pay attention to the game, and
this effort will contribute to the flow state. Accordingly, the following are hypothesized:
H1a. Achievement positively affects enjoyment.
H1b. Achievement positively affects flow.
Challenge refers to the level of difficulty in the gaming context, which includes competing
with other players or completing the mission given in the game (Liu and Shiue, 2014).
However, in our paper, challenge refers specifically to challenge seeking ( Jin, 2014), which is
considered as an intrinsic motivation. The challenge in PG is that it forces its players to go
out and make an effort to search for Pokémon or Pokestops or Gyms. Moreover, certain
Pokémon are only available at specific locations. Prior literature has suggested that
incorporating reasonable challenges in games can make games fun, which leads to an
optimal and enjoyable playing experience (Lee et al., 2012; Teng et al., 2012). Players
generally like to be challenged because when they complete a level or mission, they feel good
about the accomplishment. It has been demonstrated in empirical studies that challenges
play a critical role in motivating the player and improving the player’s enjoyment ( Jin, 2014;
Lee et al., 2012). According to Merikivi et al. (2017), positive challenges are the key to
maintaining a user’s interest and engagement in a game. These authors stated that if a game
is too easy, players will lose interest in it, and if a game is too difficult, players’ frustration
might grow. Brown et al. (2008) highlighted that play testing was essential to ensure that the
gaming experience was well balanced and enjoyable for gamers. In addition, a study by Su
et al. (2016) affirmed that challenges enable players to experience a state of flow. When
players respond to challenges by constantly focusing on overcoming obstacles, they will
enter a state of flow in the game. Accordingly, the following are hypothesized:
H2a. Challenge positively affects enjoyment.
H2b. Challenge positively affects flow.
ITP Escapism is used by individuals to obtain relief from problems by escaping unpleasant
32,3 situations, relieving stress or breaking the mundaneness of daily life (Merhi, 2016;
Li et al., 2015; Demetrovics et al., 2011). According to Ho et al. (2017), people attempt to
distract themselves from reality by consuming media. When media are sufficiently
engaging, the distraction from negative thoughts is a form of entertainment that leads to
enjoyment. In the gaming context, empirical studies have found that escapism is an
650 important factor affecting enjoyment (Chen et al., 2016; Merhi, 2016). In general, players tend
to seek relief from everyday problems by playing games to achieve enjoyment.
Prior research has also stated that escaping from reality is a critical factor in inducing
flow experiences while playing games. For instance, Liu and Chang (2016) found that
escapism significantly influences the flow experience of online game players. When players
are highly engaged during gameplay to escape unpleasant realities, the players will become
immersed in the game, leading to a flow experience. Based on the above reasoning, the
following hypotheses are proposed:
H3a. Escapism positively affects enjoyment.
H3b. Escapism positively affects flow.
Social interaction recognizes the importance of communication and relationship building with
others (Li et al., 2015; Merhi, 2016). Through online games, players have the opportunity to
play, meet, challenge and chat with other players (Merhi, 2016). Research has consistently
shown that social interaction is regarded as one of the key factors that determine the
enjoyment of players and that it motivates them to continuously engage in games. For
instance, Chen et al. (2016) found that social interaction significantly influences players’
perceived enjoyment, which in turn significantly influences their intention to play. In line with
this finding, Li et al. (2015) showed that social support in an SNG helps players fulfill their
social needs and motivates them to continue using a particular SNG. These studies suggest
that social interaction in the gaming world allows good times to be shared with other players
in the game, which could enhance player enjoyment. Moreover, Su et al. (2016) and Lee (2009)
indicated that social interaction positively influences flow experience and further influences
player behavioral intention. Social interaction enables players to establish and expand
interpersonal networks, and this form of social ties will produce flow and create moments of
optimal experience for players. Hence, the following hypotheses are proposed:
H4a. Social interaction positively affects enjoyment.
H4b. Social interaction positively affects flow.

2.2 Behavioral intention

Behavioral intention is defined as a person’s perceived likelihood or subjective probability that
he or she will perform a certain behavior (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975). Prior studies have
explored different dimensions of consumer behavioral intentions, such as loyalty, adoption
intention, continuance intention, purchase intention, willingness to pay a premium price and
word of mouth. Past studies on information systems have highlighted the continued usage
rather than the adoption intention to adopt the system as the long-term success depended on its
continued use (Basak and Calisir, 2015; Chang, 2013). Thus, understanding continuance
intentions was considered an important behavioral consequence as compared to the intention
to play, in determining the sustainable success of games (Gao and Bai, 2014; Chang et al., 2014).

2.3 Enjoyment
Enjoyment can be defined as the degree to which performing an activity is perceived as
pleasurable and fun in its own right (Van der Heijden, 2003). Prior research has identified
enjoyment as a strong determinant of users’ behavioral intention in a variety of online Player
environments (e.g. Wu and Liu, 2007; Chen et al., 2016; Merhi, 2016). For example, behavior in
Shiau and Luo (2013) indicated that user involvement, satisfaction and perceived Pokémon GO
enjoyment predict continuance intention for blog usage. On the other hand, Chan and
Chong (2013) showed that enjoyment plays a crucial role in users’ engagement with mobile
commerce activities. Similarly, Merhi (2016) and Merikivi et al. (2017) found that
enjoyment also positively influences the intention to play online games. The rationale for 651
these findings is that when players experience enjoyable feelings while playing games, it
lead to positive attitudes and expectations of games and provided more enduring reasons
or motives to play games (Boyle et al., 2012). In another study, Lin and Bhattacherjee
(2010) while looking at OVGs also showed that perceived enjoyment leads to
positive effects on attitudes toward their usage, which in turn had a direct and positive
effect on user’s intention to use the OVGs. It should be noted that previous studies have
focused on the intention to play while the current study examines the players’ intention to
continue playing the game. However, it is highly likely that enjoyment is one of the main
factors determining players’ intention to continue playing the game and thus leads to the
next hypothesis:
H5. Enjoyment positively affects continuance intention.

2.4 Flow
Csikszentmihalyi (1990) described flow as the holistic feeling that people experience when
they act with total involvement. Flow represents an optimal experience; in this state, people
have clear goals, exercise control, lose their self-consciousness and experience a distortion of
time (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). Previous studies in the online game context have examined
flow experience through multiple dimensions. For example, Chang (2013) suggested that the
flow experience comprises concentration, telepresence, enjoyment and time distortion.
Lee and Tsai (2010) suggested that total involvement, enjoyment, control, concentration and
intrinsic interest are important characteristics of the flow experience. Thus, the flow
experience is regarded as a fully immersed condition, where players engage in the game
with total concentration and a distorted sense of time. Koufaris (2002) recognized the
importance of flow theory to measure online consumer experience. He felt that previous
operationalizations of flow were too broad and identified three dimensions of flow, namely,
shopping enjoyment, perceived control and concentration, out of which, only the shopping
enjoyment variable was found to influence the intention to return. However, in this paper,
flow has been conceptualized as a uni-dimensional construct, which is also different from the
enjoyment construct.
Users who experience a flow state have reported more positive expectations and
demonstrated greater enjoyment and satisfaction. For instance, according to Liu and
Li (2011), players experience an optimal level of enjoyment while playing mobile games
when they are in a flow state. Similarly, Guo et al. (2016) reported that students who
experience flow while taking an online course are more likely to perceive the course as being
fun. Thus, when players experience an increased level of flow, their level of enjoyment
would also increase accordingly.
Moreover, researchers have also demonstrated that flow is one of the several factors that
explain users’ behavior in various new media technologies such as online games (Merhi,
2016; Su et al., 2016; Lee, 2009), social networking services (Gao and Bai, 2014; Zhou, 2015)
and mobile purchasing (Gao et al., 2015). When players generate a flow experience in the
process of playing a game, there is a sense of full immersion, which will further enhance
their gaming experience (Zhou, 2015). Thus, it is likely that players who experience flow
while playing games will tend to continue their usage to obtain this optimal experience
ITP again in the future. Hence, it is proposed that a flow experience can facilitate players’
32,3 enjoyment and encourage their continuance intention:
H6a. Flow positively affects enjoyment.
H6b. Flow positively affects continuance intention.

652 2.5 Nostalgia and need-to-collect

Holbrook and Schindler (1991) defined nostalgia as a preference (general liking, positive
attitude, or favorable affect) for objects (people, places, or things) that were common
(popular, fashionable or widely circulated) in the past (in early adulthood, in adolescence, in
childhood or even before birth). According to Derbaix and Derbaix (2010, p. 60), simple
nostalgia “emanates from a desire to return to a time past, the wish to go back to the ‘good
old days’ or the belief that things were better in the past.” The feeling of nostalgia has a
significant influence on many consumer preferences and reactions. For example, Koetz and
Tankersley (2016) showed that nostalgia constitutes a predominantly positive emotion that
affects the relationship between individuals and a brand. It has been found that various
cognitive, attitudinal and purchase intention reactions significantly alter when consumers
experience a higher intensity of nostalgia (Marchegiani and Phau, 2011).
PG attracts young adults who grew up watching the TV show and playing Pokémon
games during the 1990s, and it is especially appealing to those who collected the cards and
built up Pokédex on Gameboys. PG is thus expected to inspire reliving of the nostalgic
memories of players and consequently producing positive feelings toward the game. The
success of a game depends on its having unique and interesting gaming factors that command
attention and elicit curiosity among players, and one of the unique factors in PG may be the
desire to collect. Collecting is a common human behavior and is an important part of many
people’s lives. According to Belk (1995), collecting is the process of actively, selectively and
passionately acquiring and possessing things removed from ordinary use and perceived as
part of a set of non-identical objects or experiences. As noted in literature, many individuals
have a natural desire to collect items for various reasons, such as enjoyment, leisure, prestige
and set completion (Carey, 2008; Zolfagharian and Cortes, 2011). Clearly, the motivations
behind collecting are complex and multifaceted, and it is notable that many of the motives
offered as central to collecting revolve around the self (McIntosh and Schmeichel, 2004).
Specifically, individuals attempt to fulfill their own needs through collecting behavior.
Moreover, it has been shown that various gaming motivational factors always play a
significant role in a game’s ability to entice players to continue playing (Hsiao and Tang, 2016;
Merikivi et al., 2017). A player’s past memory of the game might inspire the player to play PG
to restore the fond memory of the game. In the case of PG, the nostalgic impact will probably
influence players to experience again the interesting gaming aspect of collecting the virtual
monsters. The present study suggests that the motivational factor of collecting may inspire
players to hunt down all Pokémon. Players attempt to satisfy their motivational needs by
continuing to collect the Pokémon. In addition, the need-to-collect is expected to influence
players to continue playing the game. Therefore, the following hypotheses are proposed:
H7a. Nostalgia positively affects the need-to-collect.
H7b. Nostalgia positively affects continuance intention.
H8. The need-to-collect positively affects continuance intention.

2.6 Network externalities and community involvement

A network externality has been defined as the utility that a user derives from consumption of a
good, and it increases as the number of product users increases (Katz and Shapiro, 1985).
When the referent network size is large, the ability to communicate with more peers or other Player
users increases. The interaction and sharing between more users creates a greater sense of behavior in
pleasure, which further leads to an improved experience and a higher level of satisfaction. Pokémon GO
Previous studies have mainly examined network externalities in social network sites or mobile
communication contexts but have not really examined in context of AR mobile games.
For example, Zhou (2015) reported that the referent network size had a significant influence on
users’ continuance intention for mobile social network sites. On the other hand, Zhou 653
and Lu (2011) examined the effect of network externalities on mobile instant messaging and
found that network externalities significantly affect perceived usefulness and satisfaction and
further determine user loyalty. As evidenced by these studies, when more participants enter a
network, existing users can access greater network utility. In the current study of PG, it is
reasonable to assume that when players perceive that many others are playing the game, the
game delivers more fun and in turn will improve players’ perception of the gaming experience.
Thus, it is plausible to assume that network externality plays a role in influencing players’
continuance intention:
H9. Network externalities positively affect continuance intention.
Hsu et al. (2012) defined an online community as a large, loosely knit and geographically
distributed group of individuals engaged in a shared practice of problem solving,
knowledge exchange or social interactions that mainly occur through computer-mediated
communications. In this study, community involvement refers to activities in which players
engage in the online environment, for example, by sharing information and providing
suggestions or opinions. Prior literature suggests that users’ online community involvement
has a positive impact on behaviors such as loyalty. For instance, Zhang et al. (2015)
demonstrated that community commitment and participation are key determinants of brand
loyalty. Similarly, Brodie et al. (2013), while looking at consumer engagement in a virtual
brand community, found that consumer engagement leads to greater consumer loyalty.
In addition, Hashim and Tan (2015) indicated that users’ affective commitment has a
positive influence on their continuous knowledge-sharing intention within business online
communities. Thus, in line with prior research, it is proposed that community involvement is
likely to positively influence players’ continuance intentions:
H10. Community involvement positively affects continuance intention.

2.7 Continuance intention and purchase intention

Apart from retaining players, the most important objective of game providers is to
generate revenue from either in-app advertising or in-app purchases (Hamari, 2015; Ho
and Wu, 2012; Hsiao and Chen, 2016). A game’s financial success and sustainable
development largely depend on players who continue playing the game and are willing to
buy virtual items. Players usually purchase virtual items to enhance their game
performance. According to Mäntymäki and Salo (2011), purchasing behavior can be
viewed as a deeper level of user commitment to a service platform experience. In other
words, users purchase virtual items to enhance their experience; thus, it is assumed that
purchase intention follows usage decisions and commitment over time. Hsu and Lin (2016)
found that users’ intention to continue using a mobile app significantly influenced their in-
app purchase intentions. Thus, it is also likely that intention to continue playing a game
would also have an impact on decisions to make in-app purchases as well. Hence, it was
hypothesized that:
H11. Continuance intention positively affects purchase intention.
The conceptual framework is shown in Figure 1.
ITP U&G Social influences
32,3 Network Community
Achievement externality involvement

H1a

H1b

Enjoyment H9 H10

654 Challenge
H2a

H5
H2b

Continuance Purchase
H6a
intention to H11 intention
H3a play
2
R = 0.1
Escapism
H3b H6b

Flow
H4a H8
H7

H4b

Social
Interaction
Need to
Nostalgia H7a
collect
Figure 1.
Conceptual framework
Gaming motivational factors

3. Research method
3.1 Data collection and sample
The data were collected through the non-probability purposive sampling method using an
online field survey (Su et al., 2016). Given the nature of online mobile games, access to the
target respondents via an online survey was deemed appropriate (Lee, 2009; Merikivi et al.,
2017). The questionnaire was translated into the Malay language using a back-translation
method to verify the consistency between the two language versions (Ho and Wu, 2012).
As this study concerns players’ continuance intention, the targeted respondents were
current players of PG in Malaysia. Respondents were recruited via popular virtual
communities of PG players on Facebook and Google Plus in Malaysia over a two-month
period. The message stated the aim of the current study and contained a hyperlink to the
survey form. A filter question was used to ensure that respondents met the criterion of
still playing PG.
A total of 362 usable responses were ultimately used for the final analysis after removing
the outliers. Harman’s single-factor analysis was performed to examine the potential issue of
common method bias as the responses were self-reported. The results showed that the first
factor accounted for 32.85 percent of the total variance, which is less than the threshold level
of 50 percent, indicating that common method bias is not a serious concern in this study.
With regards to the gender breakdown, 61.3 percent of the respondents were male and
38.7 percent female; 4.1 percent were aged below 18 years, 73.5 percent were between 18 and
35, 20.2 percent were between 36 and 55 and 2.2 percent were above 55 years. Also, more
than half of the respondents had played PG for three months or more.

3.2 Measures
The questionnaire was developed by adapting scales from existing literature to suit the
current research context. Table I summarizes the sources used to operationalize the model
constructs, which have been validated in numerous studies. The data were collected using
seven-point Likert scales ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). The
questionnaire consisted of three sections: the first section captures the gaming experiences of
Construct Sources
Player
behavior in
Achievement Wu et al. (2010), Xu et al. (2012) Pokémon GO
Challenge Jin (2014), Teng et al. (2012)
Escapism Demetrovics et al. (2011), Xu et al. (2012)
Social interaction Lee (2009), Wei and Lu (2014)
Need-to-collect Pearce (1994), Zolfagharian and Cortes (2011)
Nostalgia Derbaix and Derbaix (2010) 655
Network externality Wei and Lu (2014), Zhou (2015)
Enjoyment Wei and Lu (2014), Wu et al. (2010)
Flow Lee (2009), Triantafillidou and Siomkos (2014)
Community involvement Chang and Chuang (2011)
Continuance intention Chang et al. (2014), Lee and Tsai (2010), Li et al. (2015) Table I.
Purchase intention Chu and Lu (2007), Hsiao and Chen (2016) Construct and sources

the respondents, such as duration, frequency, time spent playing and purchase details for the
game (if any). The second section records the respondents’ perception of their motivations and
behavioral intentions for the game. The last section collected the demographic information,
such as gender, age, highest education level and employment status. Prior to the survey, the
questionnaire was pre-tested on 20 respondents and reviewed by a marketing expert to verify
the appropriateness of the instruments and to confirm the content validity. Based on the
respondents’ and expert’s feedback, minor modifications were made to some questions. For
example, the term “shopped” was changed to “purchased,” and the term “powerful” was
modified to the achievement of a higher CP level.

3.3 Analysis methods

The collected data were analyzed using the partial least squares (PLS) method to
test the research model and hypotheses. This approach was chosen because PLS is
able to handle highly complex models and maximize the variance explained in the
dependent variables (Hair et al., 2014). Given that the current study involves multiple
variables integrated with new measures in a base model, the PLS method was deemed
appropriate for use in this model analysis. The analytical procedures were conducted in
two stages: the first stage was measurement model testing to assess the reliability and
validity of the measurement instruments, and the second stage was structural model
evaluation to examine the hypothesized relationships (Anderson and Gerbing, 1988;
Ramayah et al., 2011).

4. Data analysis and results

4.1 Measurement model evaluation
All the constructs adapted in this study were tested for convergent validity and discriminant
validity. The results for convergent validity, item loadings, average variance extracted (AVE)
and composite reliability (CR) are given Table II. The results show that all the AVE values
were higher than 0.5, and the CR values were higher than 0.7, suggesting that the model
possesses acceptable reliability and convergent validity (Hair et al., 2014). Furthermore, all
individual item loadings were higher than 0.708, except for Flow3. Following Hair et al.’s
(2014) recommendation, the deletion of low-loading items was considered unnecessary and the
item was retained because CR and AVE exceeded the threshold.
Second, the discriminant validity was examined using Fornell and Larcker (1981) and
heterotrait–monotrait (HTMT) measures. As shown in Table III, the square roots of the AVE,
as represented by the italic values on the diagonals, were greater than the corresponding row
and column values, indicating that all constructs achieved discriminant validity. In addition,
ITP Construct Items Loadings CR AVE
32,3
Achievement ACV1 It is important for me to move my trainer level up as fast 0.786 0.877 0.641
as possible in PG
ACV2 It is important for me to accumulate more resources and 0.814
items in PG
ACV3 It is important for me to acquire rare Pokémon that most 0.790
656 players do not have
ACV4 It is important for me to become powerful in PG 0.813
Challenge CHL1 I feel personally challenged in playing PG 0.788 0.907 0.661
CHL2 I find it very rewarding to reach the next level in PG 0.789
CHL3 I feel proud when I master an aspect of the game 0.819
CHL4 Playing PG challenges me to perform to the best of my 0.867
ability
CHL5 Playing PG tests my gaming skills 0.799
Escapism ESC1 I play PG in order to relax from the day’s work or stress 0.814 0.948 0.785
ESC2 I play PG so that I can avoid thinking about some of real- 0.887
life problems or worries
ESC3 I play PG in order to escape from real-world problems 0.923
ESC4 I play PG because it reduces tension 0.892
ESC5 I play PG in order to forget about unpleasant things 0.910
Social SIN1 Playing PG enables me to interact with others 0.911 0.955 0.843
interaction SIN2 Playing PG can fulfill my need to interact with others 0.902
SIN3 Playing PG increases my opportunities to interact with 0.946
others
SIN4 Playing PG enables me to make friends 0.913
Enjoyment ENJ1 Playing PG is fun 0.891 0.951 0.795
ENJ2 Playing PG is pleasurable 0.883
ENJ3 Playing PG is enjoyable 0.900
ENJ4 Playing PG is exciting 0.889
ENJ5 Playing PG is interesting 0.897
Flow Flow1 When playing PG, time seems to pass very quickly 0.821 0.866 0.621
Flow2 When playing PG, my attention is focused on the game 0.866
Flow3 When playing PG, I am not aware of things happening 0.652
around me
Flow4 When playing PG, I am totally absorbed in the game 0.797
Need-to-collect NTC1 I collect Pokémon because I like it 0.851 0.889 0.617
NTC2 I collect Pokémon because they are cute 0.727
NTC3 I collect Pokémon because they look interesting 0.762
NTC4 I have a desire to collect the complete sets of Pokémon 0.755
NTC5 Looking at the Pokémon collection that I have is exciting 0.827
for me
Nostalgia NTG1 Playing PG helps me recall pleasant memories 0.912 0.978 0.901
NTG2 Playing PG makes me think about when I was younger 0.953
NTG3 Playing PG evokes fond memories of the past 0.968
NTG4 Playing PG reminds me of past experiences 0.955
NTG5 Playing PG reminds me of the good old days 0.957
Network NEX1 There are a good number of people playing PG 0.861 0.901 0.752
Externality NEX2 There will be many more people playing PG in the future 0.828
NEX3 Many people are playing PG 0.911
Community CIV1 I am interested in participating in the online community 0.913 0.952 0.799
involvement of PG
CIV2 It is pleasurable and enjoyable for me to participate in the 0.941
online community of PG
CIV3 It is important for me to participate in the online 0.925
community of PG
Table II.
Convergent validity of
measurement model (continued )
Construct Items Loadings CR AVE
Player
behavior in
CIV4 I spend a lot time and effort actively participating in the 0.880 Pokémon GO
online community of PG
CIV5 I eagerly reply to postings by other players in the online 0.803
community of PG
Continuance CIT1 I intend to continue playing PG in the future 0.908 0.966 0.850
Intention to play CIT2 I will keep playing PG as regularly as I do now 0.915 657
CIT3 I will continue playing PG as much as possible in future 0.896
CIT4 I expect to continue playing PG in the future 0.948
CIT5 I am willing to play PG in the future 0.943
Purchase PIT1 I intend to buy Pokécoins in the future 0.955 0.980 0.907
intention PIT2 I predict that I will buy Pokécoins in the future 0.968
PIT3 I would consider buying Pokécoins in the future 0.962
PIT4 The likelihood that I will buy Pokécoins is high 0.940
PIT5 I would consider spending real money to purchase items 0.936
in the Pokéstore Table II.

the HTMT values were lower than the 0.85 threshold (Kline, 2011), indicating that
discriminant validity was ascertained, as shown in Table IV. In sum, both the convergent and
discriminant validity of the measures in this study were established. Thus, we could proceed
with the structural equation modeling.

4.2 Structural model evaluation and hypothesis testing

To evaluate the structural model, a bootstrapping procedure with a resample of 5,000 was
run to generate the R2, β and corresponding t-values (Hair et al., 2014). Figure 2 shows the
path coefficients and the explained construct variance (R2), while Table VI summarizes
the results of the hypothesis tests. Before analyzing the results, multicollinearity was
assessed using the variance inflation factor (VIF). The VIF values ranged from 1.0 to 2.2
and were below the 3.3 threshold, thus indicating that multicollinearity was also not an
issue in this study.
It was found that the model explains 53 percent of the variance in continuance intention
and further explains 10 percent of the variance in purchase intention. All U&G constructs
explained 41 percent of the variance in enjoyment and 42 percent of the variance in flow.
The results indicated that all U&G constructs were positively related to enjoyment, except
for escapism. Interestingly, social interaction did not have a significant effect on flow.
Thus, H1–H4 were supported with the exceptions of H3a and H4b. The antecedents of
continuance intention, including enjoyment, network externalities, need-to-collect and
community involvement, were positively related to players’ continuance intention. However,
no significant effect was found for flow or nostalgia on players’ continuance intention.
These results also supported H5–H10 with the exceptions of H6b and H7b. It was also
found that players’ continuance intention was positively related to their purchase intention,
thus supporting H11.

4.3 Mediation effects

Additional analyses of indirect effects (Table V ) were conducted to investigate whether
flow and nostalgia affect players’ continuance intention through the mediating variables
of enjoyment and need-to-collect, respectively. The bootstrapping analysis showed that
the indirect effect of flow on continuance intention (β ¼ 0.058) was significant, with a
t-value of 2.514. As indicated by Preacher and Hayes (2008), the indirect effect of 0.058,
95 percent boot CI: (LL ¼ 0.013, UL ¼ 0.103) does not include a 0 in between, indicating
 ITP
32,3

658

Table III.
Discriminant validity
of measurement model
Mean SD CR AVE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

1. ACV 4.923 1.167 0.877 0.641 0.801

2. CHL 4.445 1.270 0.907 0.661 0.558 0.813
3. NTC 5.445 1.065 0.889 0.617 0.483 0.574 0.786
4. CIV 3.580 1.543 0.952 0.799 0.332 0.518 0.417 0.894
5. SIN 4.274 1.405 0.955 0.843 0.183 0.489 0.416 0.512 0.918
6. ENJ 5.428 0.948 0.951 0.795 0.469 0.559 0.576 0.428 0.443 0.892
7. ESC 3.911 1.632 0.948 0.785 0.132 0.447 0.375 0.369 0.493 0.270 0.886
8. Flow 4.141 1.180 0.866 0.621 0.533 0.576 0.433 0.401 0.302 0.466 0.361 0.788
9. NEX 4.276 1.172 0.901 0.752 0.282 0.402 0.396 0.424 0.349 0.490 0.252 0.312 0.867
10. NTG 3.861 1.762 0.978 0.901 0.085 0.379 0.371 0.325 0.559 0.291 0.499 0.205 0.261 0.949
11. CIT 5.180 1.240 0.966 0.850 0.479 0.479 0.562 0.498 0.317 0.648 0.212 0.381 0.485 0.207 0.922
12. PIT 2.550 1.676 0.980 0.907 0.191 0.289 0.220 0.404 0.305 0.247 0.274 0.249 0.339 0.236 0.320 0.952
Note: Square roots of the AVE are reported in italics on the diagonal
 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Player
behavior in
1. ACV Pokémon GO
2. CHL 0.659
3. NTC 0.557 0.643
4. CIV 0.377 0.579 0.452
5. SIN 0.230 0.540 0.448 0.548
6. ENJ 0.536 0.615 0.637 0.455 0.470 659
7. ESC 0.144 0.494 0.414 0.396 0.527 0.287
8. Flow 0.649 0.664 0.469 0.450 0.305 0.482 0.400
9. NEX 0.340 0.467 0.470 0.477 0.398 0.557 0.283 0.350 Table IV.
10. NTG 0.128 0.411 0.398 0.344 0.587 0.304 0.523 0.213 0.290 Discriminant validity
11. CIT 0.543 0.519 0.604 0.521 0.334 0.685 0.223 0.391 0.539 0.213 via heterotrait–
12. PIT 0.214 0.313 0.236 0.429 0.321 0.258 0.286 0.283 0.371 0.241 0.330 monotrait (HTMT)

U&G Social influences

Network Community
Achievement externality involvement
H1
0.2 a
08*
*
H1 7**
0.3

b
3

Enjoyment
**
0.
H9 1**

0
09
H1
14

R 2 = 0.41
0.2

H2a
H
Challenge 0.252** 0.3 5
85
0. H2b **
30
8*
*
Continuance
0.15**

Purchase
H6a

H11
intention to 0.32**
a
H3 54
intention
play
–0
.0 R 2 = 0.1
H6b R 2 = 0.53
Escapism H3b 09
0.178** –0.0
Flow
R 2 = 0.4
–0 H7b

**

0.2
H8 6**
95
26 a
*
0. H4
3*

3
.0

b
H4 02
0.0
Social
Interaction
H7a Need to
Nostalgia 0.371**
collect
Figure 2.
Significant path Gaming motivational factors Results of the
Non-significant path structural equation
modeling
Note: **p < 0.01

that there is mediation. The indirect effect of nostalgia on continuance intention was also
found to be significant, with a t-value of 3.75 (β ¼ 0.088), 95 percent boot CI: (LL ¼ 0.042,
UL ¼ 0.133); this also does not include a 0 in between, thus indicating a mediation effect.
According to Hair et al. (2014), a VAF value greater than 80 percent is full mediation, and a
value between 20 and 80 percent is partial mediation. Thus, the results revealed a full
mediation effect between flow and players’ continuance intention and a partial mediation
effect between nostalgia and players’ continuance intention.
The magnitudes of the effect sizes ( f2) of the study were also assessed based on Cohen’s
(1988) guidelines, which are 0.02, 0.15, and 0.35, representing small, medium and large
effects, respectively. Based on Table VI, the model showed 11 relationships with small effect
sizes and 2 with medium effect sizes. In addition, this study assessed the predictive
relevance (Q2) of the model using the blindfolding procedure. Hair et al. (2014) suggested
that if the Q2 value is larger than 0, the model has predictive relevance for a certain
ITP Direct path Std β SE t-value p-value
32,3
Path a
Flow → ENJ 0.150 0.055 2.725 0.006
NTG → NTC 0.371 0.044 8.495 0.000
Path b
660 ENJ → CI 0.385 0.055 7.050 0.000
NTC → CI 0.236 0.054 4.396 0.000
Path c'
Flow → CI −0.009 0.048 0.181 0.856
NTG → CI −0.095 0.040 2.399 0.016
Table V.
Mediation effect of Indirect path Std β SE t-value VAF Mediation
enjoyment and need- Flow → ENJ → CI 0.058 0.023 2.514 87.078 Full mediation
to-collect NTG → NTC → CI 0.088 0.023 3.750 47.958 Partial mediation

Hypothesis Relationship Std β SE t-value Decision VIF f2 R2 R2 adjusted Q2

H1a ACV → ENJ 0.208 0.059 3.514** Supported 1.694 0.043 0.410 0.402 0.303
H1b ACV →Flow 0.337 0.056 6.007** Supported 1.497 0.131 0.422 0.415 0.237
H2a CHL → ENJ 0.252 0.066 3.84** Supported 2.211 0.049
H2b CHL → Flow 0.308 0.066 4.656** Supported 2.047 0.080
H3a ESC → ENJ −0.054 0.054 1.007 Not supported 1.502 na
H3b ESC → Flow 0.178 0.050 3.593** Supported 1.448 0.038
H4a SIN → ENJ 0.263 0.055 4.813** Supported 1.507 0.078
H4b SIN → Flow 0.002 0.049 0.045 Not supported 1.507 na
H5 ENJ → CIT 0.385 0.055 7.05** Supported 1.847 0.171 0.532 0.524 0.417
H6a Flow → ENJ 0.150 0.055 2.725** Supported 1.730 0.022
H6b Flow → CIT −0.009 0.048 0.181 Not supported 1.411 na
H7a NTG → NTC 0.371 0.044 8.495** Supported 1.000 0.160
H7b NTG → CIT −0.095 0.040 2.399** Not supported 1.218 na
H8 NTC → CIT 0.236 0.054 4.396** Supported 1.728 0.069
Table VI. H9 NEX → CIT 0.141 0.043 3.277** Supported 1.444 0.030
Results of the H10 CIV → CIT 0.209 0.048 4.343** Supported 1.471 0.064
structural model H11 CIT → PIT 0.320 0.044 7.186** Supported 1.000 0.114 0.102 0.100 0.086
analysis Note: **po 0.01

endogenous construct. The predictive relevance analysis was performed using a distance
value of 7. The results showed that all Q2 values were greater than 0, ranging from 0.09 to
0.42; this indicated that the model has sufficient predictive relevance.

5. Discussion
This paper presents an integrated theoretical framework to explore the important
antecedents of players’ behavioral intentions for the location-based AR mobile games. The
findings revealed that players’ continuance intention has positive effects on their purchase
intention, while players’ continuance intention is significantly influenced by enjoyment,
community involvement, network externalities and the need-to-collect. The significant path
from continuance intention to purchase intention is consistent with the findings of Hamari
(2015) and Hsiao and Chen (2016) who showed that the willingness to purchase virtual
goods increases when players are eager to continue playing and develop a sense of loyalty.
 Among the antecedents of players’ continuance intention, enjoyment has the strongest Player
impact on players’ continuance intention, which corresponds to prior studies suggesting that behavior in
pleasurable gaming experiences tend to motivate players to engage with the game and to Pokémon GO
continue playing it (Lin et al., 2012; Merikivi et al., 2017). However, contrary to expectations,
flow was not found to have a significant effect on players’ continuance intention. The possible
reason is that the game requires players to walk around and take road trips to collect
Pokémon and other virtual items, but simultaneously they need to be alert of their 661
surroundings; thus, most players are not completely absorbed and immersed in the game.
Although there is no direct relationship between flow and players’ continuance intention,
the results revealed that enjoyment completely mediates the relationship between flow and
continuance intention. In other words, gaming is more enjoyable when players experience
flow in the gaming world, which consequently influences players’ continuous engagement in
the game. Prior research has also found that enjoyment while playing online games is an
outcome of experiencing flow (Weibel and Wissmath, 2011; Weibel et al., 2008).
When players experience flow while playing games, they tend to filter out irrelevant
thoughts and focus their play effort on the game to gain pleasurable experiences. This
indicates that flow is an important element of the game that could lead to enjoyable
experiences and, more importantly, further promote players’ continuance intention.
Furthermore, as predicted, community involvement and network externalities significantly
influence players’ continuance intention. This result implies that social factors positively affect
players’ continuance intention, in agreement with the results of prior studies (Chen et al., 2016;
Wei and Lu, 2014). The findings indicate that player involvement within the community
encourages players to discuss the game and share information, which eventually enhances
their social gaming experience. Moreover, the large network size enables players to connect
with more players, which further improves the player experience. Both social factors directly
affect player-to-player interactions and further create compelling experiences for players.
This study further examined the gaming motivational factors unique to PG and found that
the need-to-collect has significant positive impacts on players’ continuance intention.
Surprisingly, the results indicated that nostalgia has no significant relationship with players’
continuance intention. The former focuses on the interesting gaming factor, while the latter
explains the past memories of the game. This finding suggests that players’ expectation of the
game focuses on the interesting gaming factor instead of past experience. Moreover, this study
found that more than half of the respondents did not play Pokémon-related games during their
youth, which means that most of them did not have nostalgic experiences with Pokémon.
Although nostalgia may not directly lead to continuance intention to play, it influences
continuance intention through players’ need-to-collect Pokémon and other virtual items.
Player’s need-to-collect was found to partially mediate the relationship between nostalgia and
players’ continuance intention. A possible explanation is that nostalgia plays an important
role at the early stages to attract players to the game, whereas player intention to continue
playing is influenced by the unique gaming factors, along with their desire to collect. Several
companies are now using nostalgia to position their products in order to differentiate
themselves from competitors and to influence consumer preferences for the products (Kessous
and Roux, 2008). According to Cui (2015), the key to successful nostalgia marketing is to
combine products with potential nostalgic elements. As the mobile game industry is highly
competitive, it is even more important to create unique gaming factors to keep players
engaged. The empirical results demonstrated that PG had successfully engaged players by
implementing an effective nostalgia strategy together with interesting gaming factors.
The findings also indicate that U&G constructs significantly influence players’ enjoyment
and flow experience. Consistent with previous findings, players obtain various forms of
gratification from gameplay, including social interaction, achievement and challenge
(Li et al., 2015; Wu et al., 2010). However, the findings of the present study indicate that
ITP escapism does not have a significant effect on enjoyment. This could be due to the player
32,3 constraint of needing to explore various locations to play the game, which probably decreases
their expectations about the game and leads them to lose interest. As most mobile phone users
play mobile games in short sessions, they might not devote much effort to completely
exploring the game, which would decrease their overall enjoyment of the gaming experience.
Furthermore, the results revealed that social interaction has no significant effect on flow. This
662 might be due to the limited level of direct interaction with other players; thus, the socializing
effect was not strong enough to engage players in total immersion. Overall, the results showed
that players seek different types of gratification in order to enhance their gaming experience.

6. Conclusion and implications

6.1 Conclusion
The rapid innovation of mobile technology and app games has given millions of users’ new ways
to play mobile games. The present research model explored the behavioral intention of players in
the context of mobile-based AR games, taking a different approach from most past research.
This study aimed to provide meaningful implications for both practitioners and researchers
regarding the factors that are most likely to affect the behavioral intention of players.

6.2 Theoretical implications

From a theoretical perspective, this study contributes to the literature in several ways. First,
it provides empirical support for an integrated model for understanding the antecedents of
the behavioral intentions of PG players that incorporates psychological, social and PG
gaming motivational factors. The findings indicated that players’ continuance intentions
were affected by a combination of factors, particularly enjoyment, community involvement,
network externalities and the need-to-collect. Importantly, all of these factors complement
one another to create a unique gaming experience for players and are able to keep players
continuously engaged in the game. Second, this study contributes to the gaming literature
by proposing both network externalities and community involvement as important social
factors in the model. Both network effects and community involvement cultivate meaningful
opportunities for social engagement among players. As social aspects have become
increasingly important in today’s society, the findings of this study support the beneficial
effect of social influences on enhancing player loyalty. Third, this study sheds light on the
role of nostalgia in affecting players’ continuance intention through the need-to-collect.
The results indicated that the connection between nostalgia and the need-to-collect fits the
game model perfectly and can successfully drive player engagement.

6.3 Practical implications

From a practical perspective, this study provides insightful recommendations to game
providers. The results indicated that U&G constructs and flow significantly influence player
enjoyment, which in turn affects players’ continuance intention. Game providers should take
note of the importance of managing players’ expectations and experiences in order to satisfy
players’ utility. Game providers can enhance players’ enjoyment by developing a game
application that consists of various elements, such as social interaction, achievement and
challenge, to prolong player usage. In addition, gaming factors play an important role in
enhancing players’ continuance intention. Hence, game providers should regularly inject
new elements that will elicit players’ curiosity and ultimately keep them playing the game.
The findings of this study also suggest that community involvement and network
externalities positively influence players’ continuance intention. Game providers should
constantly integrate marketing strategies and word of mouth to accelerate network effects
and expand the user base. Nostalgia can serve as an excellent marketing tool but to a certain
extent; and, blatantly relying on these feelings may adversely affect the businesses in the Player
long run. Hence, it would be important to add on interesting gaming factors to the nostalgic behavior in
sentiment in order to enhance player behavior. With the advent of social media sites, game Pokémon GO
providers could generate benefits and opportunities by creating a presence on social media
platforms. For instance, they can use social media advertising to build a wider user base,
create content to engage players and spur word of mouth, and receive feedback and
suggestions that would help them improve their product in future development. Therefore, 663
managers need to ensure that the online game community is technically sound, with good
support services and up-to-date content.

6.4 Limitation and future research

Despite the contributions of the study, it has some limitations. First, the study was based on
cross-sectional data that capture players’ behavioral intentions at a single point in time. Due
to the rapidly changing technological environment, the extent to which behavioral
intentions can be used to predict future behavior is unknown. Future research could conduct
longitudinal studies to explore players’ changing behavior over time. Second, this research
was specifically conducted in the Malaysian context, which puts constraints on the
generalizability of the results to other countries. Future research should further examine the
effect of cross-cultural differences on player behavior. Third, this study does not incorporate
all potential determinants into the model, leading to a relatively low explained variance in
purchase intention. Future studies could also look for other possible constructs that can
improve the overall model prediction, such as perceived value and price. Despite these
limitations, future research could be extended by considering other factors, such as player
types, personality traits or game features that influence players’ behavioral intentions.

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Corresponding author
Dilip S. Mutum can be contacted at: [email protected]

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