Motivators affecting pokemon GO players' in-game purchase intentions using microtransactions

Abstract

In the last decade, gaming industry started seeing a rapid transformation from one-time charge and subscription based revenue models to freemium games with microtransactions. However, overwhelming the player base with microtransactions can lead to player frustration and resistance against the transactions, other players, and developers. Understanding the motivations behind gamers' purchases of virtual goods is crucial for game developers to tailor their offerings and increase sales, thus ensuring business sustainability. This exploratory study aims to understand the motivators influencing Pokemon GO players’ in-game purchase intentions using microtransactions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 Pokemon GO players attending the Pokemon GO Community Day event in Izmir, Türkiye. The gathered data was analyzed using deductive content analysis. The results revealed that while many motivations are similar to other games, Pokemon GO’s unique gameplay style introduced new motivations such as game/design purpose misalignment, physical access, scarcity, enjoyment expectancy, and spatial proximity/distant access. Additionally, the components of consumption value theory were found significant role player in in-game purchase decisions. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) was also identified as a significant factor, with many players making purchases to avoid missing out on experiences, events, or exclusive Pokemon. This research is the first to explore the motivations of an augmented reality game's player base regarding microtransactions, offering new insights into player behavior and purchase intentions.