Stimulating flow in MOBA games: a moderated serial mediation model of gamification mechanics, perceived competence, and player retention

Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games rely on sustained player participation to maintain competitive matchmaking and community vitality, yet player churn remains a persistent challenge. Although gamification mechanics are widely embedded in MOBA design, how specific mechanics translate into long-term retention through internal psychological processes is not fully understood. Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S–O–R) paradigm and integrating Self-Determination Theory and Flow Theory, we proposed a serial mediation model in which goal clarity, immediate feedback, and reward systems enhance continuance intention via perceived competence and flow experience. We collected cross-sectional survey data from 584 active MOBA players and tested the measurement and structural models using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Indirect effects were examined using bias-corrected bootstrapping, and hierarchical regression assessed whether task complexity moderates the perceived competence–flow relationship. The measurement model demonstrated strong reliability and validity. All three gamification mechanics positively predicted perceived competence, with immediate feedback showing the strongest effect. Perceived competence strongly predicted flow, which in turn strongly predicted continuance intention. Bootstrapped mediation tests supported significant serial indirect effects for all three stimuli, indicating partial mediation. Task complexity positively moderated the competence–flow link, such that competence translated into substantially stronger flow under high-complexity matches. MOBA retention is driven not only by gamification mechanics themselves but by their capacity to cultivate competence and facilitate flow, particularly in strategically demanding contexts. Optimizing immediate feedback and maintaining an adaptive challenge–skill balance appear to be key levers for sustaining long-term player engagement.