Till Örebro universitet

Nowadays, free-to-play revenue model is growing in popularity with both game developers and players. The basic game is provided free of charge, but players are encouraged to purchase virtual goods, varying from cosmetic elements such as new skins for game character to items offering significant advantage over other players. Due to the relative newness of this phenomena, little research has been devoted to this topic, especially in the European region. In this paper, we identify, motivations and antecedents influencing the purchasing behavior of free-to-play Gamers, such as the support of the game developer, gaining advantage in the game or player's relationship to their game character. We conduct a quantitative study of 1 107 European garners (from Czech Republic and Belgium) to compare whether overall attitude, average spend on virtual goods and factors influencing customer's behavior vary accross the nations. This approach also allows us to develop a typology of free-to-play Gamers in Czech Republic and Belgium.