Examining the Mediating Effects of Game User Experience Satisfaction on Continuance Intention: A Case Study of League of Legends

This research critically examines the relationship between game user experience satisfaction and continuance intention, focusing on dividing game user experience satisfaction into design and psychological factors and examining their mediating roles. Data were collected from 524 players of League of Legends and League of Legends: Wild Rift via online surveys. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and Multi-Group Analysis (PLS-MGA), the study examines factors such as usability/playability, narratives, play engrossment, enjoyment, creative freedom, audio aesthetics, personal gratification, social connectivity, visual aesthetics, and continuance intention. The findings demonstrate that desktop version players are more likely to have higher educational attainment and more extended gaming experience than mobile version players, with a partial mediating relationship between game user experience satisfaction and continuance intention. A significant observation is the differences between casual and core players in user experience satisfaction. In contrast, audio aesthetics have a more pronounced effect on enjoyment for casual players. Additionally, for core players, visual aesthetics have a more substantial impact on continuance intention, mediated by enjoyment, compared to casual players. However, no significant differences were observed across hypothesized paths based on gaming platforms. These insights underscore the importance of game user experience satisfaction in the mediating influence on players’ continuance intention. Key design elements, such as enhancing audio and visual aesthetics, are identified as practical strategies to improve player engagement and loyalty, providing valuable insights for developers optimizing gaming experiences across platforms.