Are casual gamers more susceptible to environmental stimuli? The interaction between arousal and involvement
(A2020-62729)

AUTHORS

Arthur Sarcinelli, São Paulo School of Business Administration; MARCELO BRANDAO, Federal University of Espírito Santo; Evandro Lopes, Nove de Julho University and Federal University of São Paulo; Eliane Herrero, Nove de Julho University

KEYWORDS

Color; Involvement; Arousal

ABSTRACT

In this paper we aimed to understand the effect of the store’s color on the intention to purchase microtransactions in video games. We emphasized understanding the effect of color (blue and red) on purchase intention when the relationship is mediated by the individual’s degree of arousal and conditioned to the levels of involvement. The theoretical model used is inspired in the stimulus-organism-response paradigm (Mehrabian & Russell, 1974), and advocates that the warmer colors may have a negative response. The results of the quasi-experiment, in which only the ambient color was manipulated, showed that reddish colors induce a higher degree of arousal when compared to bluish colors. However, the impact on behavioral intention is indirectly proportional to the store environmental stimuli hue. Moreover, the conditional effect of involvement indicates that low-involvement gamers are more susceptible to persuasive influences of store environment color than high-involvement players.