Game-induced tourism: roles of game scene perception and affective factors in shaping travel intention

Purpose Understanding how games stimulate tourist travel intention has become an essential academic question. However, few studies have examined how perceptions of game scenes influence the travel intentions of players. Design/methodology/approach Using Black Myth: Wukong as the research case, this study draws on the stimulus-organism-response theory and self-congruity theory to predict players’ travel intentions. A total of 264 valid responses were collected and analyzed using SPSS and SmartPLS. Findings The results validated the relationships among existential authenticity, self-congruity, destination awareness, destination attachment, cultural identity and travel intention. Moreover, destination attachment and cultural identity were found to act as both individual and sequential mediators in the relationships between destination awareness and travel intention, as well as between self-congruity and travel intention. Originality/value This study reveals the psychological mechanisms underlying game-induced tourism, offering substantial theoretical and practical implications for integrating game intellectual properties into destination branding and advancing research in this emerging field.