The Intention to Play Online Mobile Games in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The mobile game industry in Asia has been rapidly developed and is on its way to become the main sector in the mobile service industry thanks to the significantly fast growth of internet and mobile devices. However, most researches still focus on how to create fascinating computer or video games. Therefore, this study aims to examine the factors affecting gamers’ intention to play in Vietnam. It proposes a research model based on both technological and psychological factors. Data collection was done through quantitative surveys and then, 410 valid responses were used for Partial Least Square – Structural Equation Modeling (PLSSEM) analysis. The results have shown that the most important drivers of gamers’ intention to play online mobile games is perceived enjoyment, followed by satisfaction about games, which in turn is predicted by perceived co-presence and perceived enjoyment. Moreover, among the three technological factors, communication characteristics affect both types of gamers’ perception; however, the strongest impact belongs to attractive characteristics, which significantly influence perceived enjoyment. In contrast, it was proven that image characteristics and attractive characteristics do not have significant impact on perceived enjoyment and perceived co-presence, respectively. Overall findings of this study provide some suggestions to mobile game companies as well as independent game producers in conducting appropriate strategies to create interesting and entertaining online mobile games with suitable features to make players feel more enjoyable and willing to stick with the games.