The mobile game market has the highest sales and share in the game market. Among them, mobile MMORPG games have the highest sales and the highest popularity. Game companies are making money by selling paid items. Therefore, this study examined the psychological mechanisms affecting the purchase intention of paid items by dividing the types of users in mobile MMORPG games. Specifically, it was checked whether there was a difference between the types of users in their intention to purchase a paid item, and the sequential mediating effect of flow and impulse was verified. In addition, it was verified whether this effect is modulated by the perceived stress level of the individual.
As a result of Experiment 1, there was no statistically significant difference in the intention to purchase a paid item between a user who played a game alone and a user who randomly joined a team. However, there was a double mediating effect of commitment and impulse. Users who played the game as a team had higher immersion and impulse than those who did not, and thus their intention to purchase paid items increased. In addition, it was verified that the sequential mediating effect of flow and impulse on the effect of user type on purchase intention of paid items is moderated by perceived stress level. Specifically, it was confirmed that the lower the perceived stress, the higher the flow and the higher the impulse, the higher the intention to purchase a paid item. In Experiment 2, in order to diversify the types of teams, additional teams joined through real acquaintances or communities were recruited and analyzed. As a result, the effect of user type on purchase intention of paid items was not statistically significant. The sequential mediating effect of flow and impulse was verified. However, there was no moderated sequential mediating effect in individual and community teams. Discussion of the research results, implications, limitations, and future research directions were discussed.