Examining the antecedents and consequences of addiction to mobile games: an empirical study

Mobile games are video games that are typically played on any portable devices including mobile phones, such as feature phones or smartphones; tablets; personal digital assistants, which are able to handle game consoles; and portable media players with internet connectivity. Increasingly, people are becoming addicted to such mobile gaming. Not many studies are available that have investigated the factors responsible for such addiction, especially social influence and motivation aspects. There is a huge interest among practitioners, researchers, and academicians to understand the antecedents and consequences of people’s addiction to mobile games. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the antecedents and consequences of addiction to mobile games. With the help of social exchange theory, social networking theory, motivational theory and technology acceptance model, a theoretical model has been proposed, which is subsequently validated using partial least squares structural equation modelling on the feedback from 322 respondents who are mobile game players. The study finds that social influence has a significant positive impact on both hedonic and utilitarian attitudes of people towards playing mobile games. With different factors influencing them to play mobile games frequently, these players eventually become addicted to mobile games.