This paper will be quantitative research under the Unified Theory of Acceptance
and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) model as a comprehensive theoretical framework,
(Venkatesh, Thong, & Xu, 2012) suggested this model as a strong prediction
framework. Descriptive, regression & correlation analyses would be
conducted Figure.1 shows the research model in this study. While table 1 shows
definitions of the variables that I will address with its hypotheses
and research question.UTAUT2 can effectively explain and analyze the intent to
buy mobile games, as it has been used
previously to study in-app purchase in mobile
games intention Cho, D. (2015). As a result, UTAUT2 was presented as an
analytical model for the study of performance impact, social impact, Hedonic
Motivation, Price Value, and Habit on behavioral intention to purchase mobile
games. The UTATU2 model contain Performance
Expectancy (PE)
which isthe enhancement of tasks productivity expected by user belief,
Effort Expectancy (EE)is the ease of use, Social
Influence (SI) means how the user is derived & imposed by people around him
to use technology, Facilitating Conditions (FC)A facilitating condition was
defined as the extent to which the consumer believes that the surrounding
environment is well supported and appropriate for the performance of the
behavior., Hedonic Motivation (HM) is defined as enjoyment of playing, , Price
Value (PV) from an Individual's perspective it’s the comparison between the
price they pay in front of the benefits they gainCho, D. (2015),
and Habit (HT)Is the behavior that the user automatically generates after
passing through the same conditions and experience multiple times, (Wohn 2012)
also refer to that habit should be considered when conducting research on
online games.Lastly Behavioral Intention (BI) here is the level of a user's
intention to purchase a mobile game in the future Cho, D. (2015). For
analytical procedure I will conduct a correlation andmulti regression Analysis.
Table 1: Hypotheses and Research Question of
Motivations for Purchasing of Mobile Games Among Youth in Saudi Arabia
PE
|
H1
|
Performance expectancy is positively
related to user’s behavioral intention to purchase mobile games.
|
SI
|
H2
|
Social influence is
strongly influencing user's behavioral
intention to purchase mobile games.
|
HM
|
H3.1
|
Hedonic motivation is
positively related to user’s behavioral to purchase mobile games.
|
H3.2
|
Gender will moderate the
effect of hedonic motivation on behavioral intention to purchase mobile games,
such that the effect will be stronger for male players as well.
|
PV
|
H4.1
|
Price value is positively
related to user’s behavioral intention to purchase mobile games.
|
H4.2
|
Gender will moderate the
effect of price value on behavioral intention to purchase mobile games, such
that the effect will be stronger for female players.
|
HT
|
H5.1
|
Habit is positively
related to user’s behavioral intention to purchase mobile games.
|
H5.2
|
Gender will moderate the
effect of habit on behavioral intention to purchase mobile games, such that
the effect will be stronger for male players.
|
-
|
RQ
|
What are the motivating
factors for purchasing mobile games among the youth in Saudi Arabia?
|
Data collectionUnder the Ninth Development Plan (2010 – 2014) of Saudi
Arabia, youth are defined as individuals aged 15 – 24 who are in their early
years of working and contributes to about 21% of total Saudi population (Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia, 2010).This population age group is more responsive to change
and most likely to interact with new scientific and technological developments
such as mobile games; thus, informing their selection to participate in this
study. The target participants who are mobile game players will be invited to
take part in this survey through social media which represent the main platform
of chatting for that segment. For one to complete the questionnaire, informed
consent will be sought through the invitation containing information indicating
that completing the survey and submitting the responses presumes informed
consent to participate in the study. The
online platform is considered convenient for data collection and the collected
data will be imported to a MS Excel spreadsheet at the end of the data
collection process for analysis using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences
(SPSS), version 20.0. The statistical significance will be set at 0.05. Prior to
conducting the study, ethical approval will be obtained
from Qassim University. The purpose and
procedures of the study will be clearly explained to all the participants and
they will be informed that their participation is entirely voluntary and that
there are no direct benefits. All the collected data will be kept confidential
in a secure password protected location on the University server that is only
accessible to the researcher, supervisor and only authorised research team. The
survey will also be anonymised and no identifing information will be
included.