Can we engage players with extended reality in gaming applications? A Stimulus-Organism-Response framework.

• Investigate the factors influencing behavioural intention towards Extended Reality (XR) in gaming applications. • Examine moderating effect of technology anxiety on the relationship between attitude and behavioural intention towards extended reality in gaming applications. • Utilize the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework to elucidate the dynamics of XR adoption in gaming. This study aims to present a theoretical model that would explain the factors influencing behavioural intention towards Extended Reality (XR) in gaming applications using Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework. The survey was conducted by distributing online questionnaire through social media platforms which garnered about 358 respondents as a part of purposive sampling. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used in analysing the data collected. The results confirm that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, perceived risk, performance expectancy, attitude and perceived value are significant variables in investigating the behavioural intention towards XR in gaming applications. Apart from that, this paper has confirmed that technology anxiety has an insignificant effect in moderating the relationship between attitude and behavioural intention towards XR in gaming applications compared to past studies. The finding from this research would help gaming industry, esports community, and government policymakers to learn more about the factors affecting behavioural intention towards XR in gaming applications for the purpose of business, nation building and self-knowledge. This research contributes to the literature especially on factors affecting behavioural intention of people towards XR in gaming applications using the SOR framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]