UMSG: An Extended Model to Investigate the Use of Mobile Social Games

Abstract

Mobile Social Games (MSGs) are becoming increasingly popular worldwide, and the factors leading to the diffusion and use of such games need to be further investigated. This study proposes an extended model that aims to explore the Use of Mobile Social Games (UMSG). The UMSG model was inspired by two of the most recognized theories: the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and the Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory, in addition to newly introduced factors drawn from the unique characteristics of MSGs. This paper describes the model construction and then validates it using two case studies. The investigation adopts a sequential mixed-method design that gathers qualitative and quantitative data. The first phase of the investigation includes a focus group of 11 MSG players. The results of the focus group inspired improvements to the proposed model. The second phase included two large-scale quantitative studies that gathered data from 890 participants through an online questionnaire. The results demonstrated that the UMSG model was a good fit with the case study datasets and was able to explain the discrepancy between the different MSGs. Most of the diffusion attributes were found to be significant, in addition to a newly introduced factor that represents communication.