The Influence of Functional Value, Emotional Value, Social Value, and Flow Experience on Player Satisfaction and Affective Online Impulse Buying Tendency, as well as Their Impact on Purchase Intention of Game Skins

Abstract

The rapid development of digital technology has significantly boosted the global in gaming industry, particularly within the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) segment. This study investigates the effects of consumption value dimensions (functional value, emotional value, and social value), and flow experience on purchase intention toward virtual items (game skins), with player satisfaction and affective online impulse buying tendency (IBT) acting as mediating variables. Drawing upon the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework and Consumption Value Theory (CVT), this research examines how in-game stimuli trigger internal psychological shifts that ultimately determine behavioral intention. Primary data were gathered through an online survey of 302 Indonesian players of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) aged 18 and above who had previously purchased game skins. The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling with Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS). The measurement model evaluation confirmed satisfactory reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity across all twelve constructs. The structural model revealed that the independent variables collectively explained 39.9% of the variance in affective online impulse buying tendency and 39.5% in player satisfaction, both of which subsequently exerted a significant positive impact on purchase intention (R² = 0.536). These findings provide valuable deep theoretical insights into virtual asset consumer behavior and offer actionable recommendations for game developers like Moonton to optimize microtransaction strategies during market contractions.