Title:	PURCHASE INTENTIONS IN LEAGUE OF LEGENDS – THE ROLE OF INDIVIDUAL AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCES FOR EXPLAINING SOCIAL IDENTIFICATION
Author(s):	Bastian Kordyaka, Katharina Jahn and Bjoern Niehaves
ISBN:	978-989-8533-79-1
Editors:	Katherine Blashki and Yingcai Xiao
Year:	2018
Edition:	Single
Keywords:	Social Identification, Cultural Differences, Patriotism, Individual Differences, Age, Purchase Intention
Type:	Full Paper
First Page:	145
Last Page:	152
Language:	English
Cover:
Full Contents:	click to dowload
Paper Abstract:	Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) is a computer game genre with increasing popularity and leaping revenues. The MOBA phenomenon is particularly interesting from an economic perspective since the majority of purchases consists of virtual items with hedonic value. Although research has already identified meaningful explanations, an answer to the question what motivates players to purchase virtual items in the specific context of the most successful MOBA game League of Legends (LoL) is still scarce. We build upon the assumptions of the social identity approach to explain purchases of virtual items. Additionally, we investigate individual and cultural antecedents of social identification. Results of our survey (n=181) indicate that social identification holds the potential to explain the intention to purchase virtual items and that cultural (patriotism) as well as individual (psychosocial development) factors predict social identification.
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