Unlocking Addiction: How Microtransactions Turn Casual Gamers into Compulsive Spenders

Playing online games has become one of the most popular pastimes for many people. As the number of online game users increases, microtransactions involving the purchase of characters, weapons, gachas and other items are increasingly practiced by players. This study aims to explain how microtransactions can influence game players, turning them into active spenders, and explore the relationship between microtransactions and addiction, loyalty, and intention to buy. This study used quantitative methods by distributing online questionnaires from early November 2024 to mid-January 2025, involving 378 respondents from Jabodetabek and outside Jabodetabek, after removing outliers. Data were collected through purposive sampling and analyzed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. This study tests seven hypotheses that explain the correlation between variables: Perceived Enjoyment (PE), Quality Perception (QP), Price Perception (PP), Perceived Reward (PR), Social Value (SV), Continued Use Intention (CUI), and Purchase Intentions (PI).