Investigating Online Gamers' Artificial Intelligence-Based Emotional Attachment-Oriented Anthropomorphic Features and Their Impact on the Online Gaming Experience

In the digital landscape, online gaming has become an integral part of entertainment. This empirical research aims to examine the influence of AI-based emotional attachment-oriented anthropomorphic features and their impact on the online gaming experience. Under the paradigm of cognitive load theory (CLT) and Computers Are Social Actors (CASA) framework, a theoretical model was developed for an empirical investigation. To examine the model, the present study applied a partial least squares structural equation modeling process with 1802 respondents' data from India. The results show that AI-based emotional attachment anthropomorphic features enhance consumer's overall service experience. In addition, trust and engagement partially mediate the relationship between AI-based emotional attachment anthropomorphic features and consumer's overall service experience.