Factors affecting attitudes towards playing free-to-play digital casual/social games : a study among university students

Abstract

Insight into the mind of consumers is essential in a rapidly expanding and evolving market such as that of digital games. The free-to-play business model in particular has taken advantage of recent technology advancements in social networking sites and mobile devices spurring the introduction of new genres such as digital casual/social games available to play for free with an option of in-app purchases in order to generate revenue. Digital casual/social games are developed for the mass consumer, thus it becomes even more vital to understand who plays these games and the reasons why. This study focuses on the aforementioned games that may be accessed through the social networking site Facebook, as well as mobile devices. The research aim is to investigate attitudes towards playing casual/social games by measuring four constructs, which are based on perception and motivation. An online survey conducted in the course of this study yielded 204 valid responses and results indicate that whilst technology usage motivation has no affect on player attitudes, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and flow have a statistically significant and direct affect on attitudes towards playing casual/social games. The findings suggest that the constructs supported in this study should be taken into consideration in order to increase the lifetime value of customers and keep them engaged for longer, since these foster positives attitudes which in turn shape behaviour through intentions. Implications of findings and recommendations for future research are considered.