Influence of Facebook game players' behavior on flow and purchase intention

Abstract

In this study we focused on how Facebook games affect players' behaviors and influence their purchase intention. Participants (N = 194) completed questionnaires relating to their game playing behaviors on Facebook. We found that 3 factors – interactivity, challenge, and novelty – had a positive influence on players' flow experience, a concept introduced by Csikszentmihalyi (1975); while a fourth factor – sociality – was found not to affect flow. Furthermore, price perception, i.e., players' views of value as measured against cost, also influenced their purchase intention. Therefore, we determined that flow and price perception significantly enhance purchase intention. Future game developers could focus on the game attributes that increase players' flow experience, thereby attracting more players, especially those willing to purchase a game.