Utilizing the theory of planned behaviour to examine the in-game purchase intention and behaviour of MOBA games

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control in the theory of planned behaviour can effectively predict players' purchase intention of the decorative item "skins" in MOBA games and whether they can predict the actual purchase behaviour. Based on previous studies, a 7-point Likert scale survey consisting of 21 items was established and translated into Chinese. A total of 127 samples were gathered for subsequent analysis. The constructs were validated using single linear regression, while the model's applicability on purchase intention and behaviour was validated using multiple regression. Our research revealed that there is a gap between intentions and behaviours when it comes to purchasing MOBA game skins. Furthermore, we observed that attitudes, subjective norms, and gaming motivation strongly predict purchase intentions. The Theory of Planned Behavior is better at predicting purchase behavioral intentions than actual behavior.