The Dark Side of Play: How FOMO and Anticipated Gaming Enjoyment Drive Impulsive Buying and Brand Addiction in Roblox

Mubarak, Mahesha Al
Ardyan, Elia

JBTI : Jurnal Bisnis : Teori dan Implementasi
Vol. 17 No. 1 (2026): April 2026

The SOR model is extended by analyzing the psychological factors of impulsive buying and brand addiction of Roblox players. The results from SEM-PLS with 216 respondents show that fear of missing out (FOMO) influences impulsive buying, and anticipated gaming enjoyment (AGE) positively moderates impulsive buying to stimulate brand addiction. Furthermore, impulsive buying leads to Brand Resonance and Brand Addiction. AGE drives FOMO, which in turn drives impulsive buying and improves attachment. This shows a psychological continuum between enjoyment and compulsive playing of digital games. The study focuses on the role of emotions and social factors in the SOR framework to influence consumer behavior and explains the darker side of brand addiction in virtual environments