Game affordance, gamer orientation, and in-game purchases: A hedonic–instrumental framework

Despite extensive research on user behaviours in free-to-play games, what motivates users to purchase in-game items is still not well understood. We classify game affordances, gamer orientations, and in-game items into two dimensions according to the instrumental–hedonic dichotomy. Utilising the affordance theory, we propose that the fit between game affordances and gamer orientation determines game identification, whereas the fit between game identification and gamer orientations determines in-game purchases. We test the proposed model using a two-wave longitudinal survey. The results suggest that instrumental gamer orientation strengthens the relationship between instrumental game affordances and game identification as well as the relationship between game identification and instrumental in-game purchase. A hedonic gamer orientation strengthens the relationship between hedonic game affordances and game identification as well as the relationship between game identification and hedonic in-game purchases. This paper identifies different types of game affordances and gamer orientations and examines the interactions between the two, advancing the theoretical understanding of proactive behaviours in free-to-play games.