Abstract:
In response to the growing prominence of esports, a nuanced understanding of the motivational drivers and behavioral tendencies of esports players has become increasingly imperative for both academic inquiry and industry application. Despite this growing significance, the extant body of research remains relatively sparse in identifying the motivational factors that underpin esports satisfaction and its subsequent impact on gamers' intentions to continuous playing.
This research seeks to elucidate the complex interplay between multiple motivational constructs — encompassing hedonic gratifications, utilitarian gratifications, social gratifications, effort expectancy, flow, and facilitating conditions — and gamers' intentions to continuous playing. Central to this investigation will be the mediating role of gamer satisfaction, which is posited as a pivotal determinant in these relationships. More specifically, the study proposes that gamer’s satisfaction mediates the effect of entertainment, escapism, achievement, challenge, social interaction, effort expectancy, flow, and facilitating conditions on intention to continuous playing.
This research is theoretically underpinned by the Uses and Gratifications Theory in conjunction with the Unified Theory of Acceptance, both of which provide a robust framework for examining esports intention to continuous playing. Employing a quantitative survey methodology, data will be collected in person from university students in Saudi Arabia, with a targeted sample size of 400 respondents. The collected data will be analysed using PLS-SEM alongside necessary condition analysis to derive meaningful insights.
By integrating well-established theoretical models, this study aims to advance the understanding of the critical determinants shaping esports players’ behavioral intentions. Given the emergent nature of esports behavioral research, the findings are anticipated to offer a substantive contribution to the existing literature, particularly in the context of amateur esports gamers' intention to continuous playing.
