From social identity to purchase intention: The psychological mechanism in Vietnamese multiplayer online games

Abstract

This research seeks to examine how gamer social identity influences transactional intention within the context of Multiplayer Online Games (MMOs) in Vietnam. The study used a quantitative research method with data from 434 players and analysis through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the chain of effects from social identity to flow state, loyalty, and purchase intention. The findings reveal that both avatar and community identification have a strong impact on the state of flow, thereby reinforcing gamer cognitive loyalty. Interestingly, the state of flow does not directly impact purchase intention but is fully mediated by loyalty. In addition, the engine of gamer immersion motivation acts as a moderator, effectively increasing the conversion from loyalty to purchase intention. Research also shows that loyalty is the key to increasing revenue. For managerial implications, this study suggests that publishers focus on gamer identification-driven designs rather than pleasure commercialization.