Investigating the influence of mobile game addiction on in-app purchase intention in PUBG mobile: the mediating roles of loyalty, negative e-WOM and perceived risk

This study focuses on in-app purchase intention in Players Unknown Battleground (PUBG) Mobile to examine the relationship between mobile game addiction and in-app purchase intention in PUBG Mobile. Moreover, this study explores the moderating role of loyalty, negative electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) and perceived risk. A survey of 347 PUBG mobile game players was conducted to collect the data through a convenience sampling technique. Partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the proposed conceptual framework. Our findings indicated that online game addiction significantly influences loyalty, negative e-WOM, perceived risk and inapp purchase intention. Moreover, online game loyalty, negative e-WOM and perceived risk significantly affect in-app purchase intentions in online games. The sample was exclusively comprised of PUBG players from Indonesia. Including participants from developing and developed countries could offer valuable cross-country comparisons, enhancing the diversity and generalizability of the study’s findings. This study emphasizes that loyalty, negative electronic word of mouth and perceived risk mediate the influence of online game addiction on in-app intention. Research provides information on factors influencing purchase intentions in online game applications. This study is among the few to explore the mediating role of perceived risk from three dimensions, namely, online payment, financial and performance risk. This work enriches the existing literature, particularly regarding the insight of the Indonesian context.Online mobile games have become popular among youth, especially in the digital era. Although it is often free for players, it occurs that there are new mobile game apps come to the market every single day. Among the most played mobile games, PUBG mobile is one of the leading global mobile game markets; it attracts players due to its several in-app features. This study aims to understand the influence of mobile game addiction on loyalty, perceived risk, negative e-WOM and in-app intention to purchase. The survey was conducted in Indonesia, and the data collected were analyzed using structural equation modeling. We found that the in-app purchase intention is not only determined by the players’ game addiction level but also influenced by their loyalty, perception of risk and negative e-WOM. Besides, these factors intervened in the link between addiction and in-app purchase intention. This study offers theoretical insight into existing literature and provides a practical guide for mobile game marketers.