User intention to use social network games: a focus on motivational, sociability, and playability factors

Abstract

Social platform services have altered the lifestyles of individuals and the entire in-formation and communication technology (ICT) ecosystem. One creative application that rides on such a platform is social network games (SNGs). SNG is a service that merges playfulness of game contents and mutual relationships among people. This study investi-gates the effects of motivational, sociability, and playability factors of SNGs on attitude toward SNGs and behavioral intention to use SNGs. An extended SNGs user acceptance model founded on the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is proposed. The results show that perceived usefulness, perceived playful-ness, and challenges/competitions have positive effects on intention to use SNGs via atti-tude toward SNGs. Social image and subjective norms have direct impacts on intention to use SNGs. Those who have only use SNGs for a shorter period of time (i.e., six months or lesser) pay more attention to the usefulness of SNGs while those who have use SNGs for a longer period of time (i.e., more than six months) focus more on the playfulness of SNGs. The findings have academic implications for future research related to SNGs and practical implications for game development companies.