Freemium Mobile Gaming: Exploring the Missing Link Between Playing a “Free†Mobile Game and Paying For Its Premium Version

Ioannis Kostopoulos, Solon Magrizos, Zhen Chun Chua and Pamela Dhosi
Additional contact information
Ioannis Kostopoulos: Reader in Digital Marketing, Liverpool John Moores University, 4-6 Rodney Street, Liverpool, UK, L1 2TQ
Solon Magrizos: Reader in Digital Marketing, Liverpool John Moores University, 4-6 Rodney Street, Liverpool, UK, L1 2TQ
Zhen Chun Chua: Reader in Digital Marketing, Liverpool John Moores University, 4-6 Rodney Street, Liverpool, UK, L1 2TQ
Pamela Dhosi: Reader in Digital Marketing, Liverpool John Moores University, 4-6 Rodney Street, Liverpool, UK, L1 2TQ

International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), 2023, vol. 20, issue 04, 1-18

Abstract: Design/methodology/approach: A primary quantitative study was conducted using a structured questionnaire. To test our hypotheses across different cultures and increase the generalizability of our findings, we surveyed potential users of freemium mobile games in the UK and Singapore. Our final sample consisted of 295 users. Purpose: While a lot of research focus has been placed on mobile games, studies on the factors influencing the adoption of this form of entertainment do not distinguish between pay-to-play and freemium games. We argue that the freemium model, where the user downloads a stripped-down version of a game for free and pays for updates, requires distinct focus. Our research aims are to: a) explore the factors determining the adoption of freemium mobile gaming as a form of entertainment and b) identify the conditions under which the gap between intending to play freemium mobile games and making in-game purchases is created. Findings: Our study’s contribution to current research is twofold. Firstly, its findings reveal the factors determining the adoption of freemium mobile games using TAM. Secondly, our findings indicate the additional factors that bridge the gap between intention to play and intention to pay, namely loyalty with playing mobile games and perceived economic value. Originality/value: To our knowledge this is the first study exploring the factors determining the adoption of freemium mobile gaming as a form of entertainment and identify the conditions under which the gap between intending to play freemium mobile games and making in-game purchases is created.

Keywords: Freemium; Mobile Games; TAM (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S0219877023500232
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wsi:ijitmx:v:20:y:2023:i:04:n:s0219877023500232

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from

DOI: 10.1142/S0219877023500232

Access Statistics for this article

International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM) is currently edited by H K Tang

More articles in International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM) from World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Tai Tone Lim ().