Beyond Gaming: Determinants of Behavioral Intention to Adopt the Metaverse Among Gamers and Nongamers in an Emerging Market

Abstract

The rapid diffusion of the metaverse is reshaping consumer behavior worldwide, yet consumers′ behavioral intention to adopt the metaverse remains theoretically fragmented across user groups and insufficiently understood in emerging markets. Prior research has relied heavily on homogeneous samples, particularly gamer-centered populations, providing limited comparative evidence on how the mechanisms of behavioral intention to adopt the metaverse differ between gamers and nongamers. As a result, it remains unclear whether traditional technology acceptance models (TAMs) adequately explain the adoption of immersive technology across distinct user segments. To address this gap, this study investigates the determinants of behavioral intention to adopt the metaverse in Brazil through a multigroup analysis comparing gamers and nongamers. The TAM was refined by incorporating trust, compatibility, social influence, and technology availability to capture the drivers of behavioral intention to adopt the metaverse among gamers (n = 201) and nongamers (n = 238). Survey data were analyzed using PLS-SEM to test the proposed relationships. The findings reveal heterogeneous pathways to adoption intention across user groups. Ease of use, compatibility, and trust emerged as significant drivers for both groups, whereas perceived usefulness influenced behavioral intention to adopt the metaverse only among nongamers. Conversely, social influence and technology availability had stronger effects on gamers, suggesting that social interactions and experiential dynamics play a central role for digitally immersed users. These results demonstrate that intention to adopt immersive technology cannot be fully explained by universal utilitarian mechanisms, as the TAM explanatory structure varies with users′ levels of digital immersion and consumption-related interactions. The findings also indicate that the Brazilian emerging-market context amplifies differences in infrastructure, trust, and access to technology. From a managerial perspective, the results suggest that intuitive design and trust-building mechanisms constitute universal requirements, whereas communication strategies should emphasize usefulness and accessibility for nongamers and leverage community endorsement and immersive engagement for gamers. The study contributes to the literature by revealing the boundary conditions of TAM in immersive digital environments and advancing a more segment-sensitive understanding of behavioral intention to adopt the metaverse.