The antecedents of players’ financial commitment to make microtransactions in free-to-play games

Abstract Using a stimulus–organism–response lens that integrates perceived ease of use, attitude, satisfaction, and motivation, this study models the antecedents of players’ financial commitment to microtransactions in free-to-play games (F2P). Survey data from F2P players ( n = 161) in Poland were analyzed with PLS-SEM. Motivation is the strongest predictor of spending, followed by perceived ease of use; attitude and satisfaction influence spending indirectly via motivation. The model explains 49% of the variance in motivation and 48% in financial commitment. Findings indicate that streamlining purchase flows and fostering fair, satisfying play can increase revenue ethically, offering guidance for monetization and live-ops teams while providing a unified theoretical account of microtransaction spending. Theoretically, TAM/TPB/ECT/SDT were unified within an S–O–R model of financial commitment, and managerially, the findings prioritize frictionless purchase flows and fair, motivation-enhancing monetization as practical levers for ethical revenue growth.