Steam Review Characteristics and Chinese Users' Purchase Intention The Roles of Perceived Value and Trust in the Game

This study examines how perceived Steam review valence, volume, and credibility are associated with Chinese users’ purchase intention through perceived value and trust in the focal game. Guided by the Stimulus–Organism–Response framework, a cross-sectional questionnaire survey produced 417 submissions, of which 412 were retained after eligibility and response-quality screening. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the six-construct measurement model. The structural model showed good fit and explained 42.5% of the variance in purchase intention. All eight hypothesized direct associations were positive and statistically significant. Game trust had a larger standardized association with purchase intention than perceived value, although the difference between coefficients was not formally tested. A reproducible bootstrap analysis supported five of six specific indirect associations; the credibility–trust–purchase intention pathway was unsupported. Sensitivity analysis of 89 responses containing game titles did not support three weaker stimulus paths. The findings suggest that review characteristics relate to purchase intention through distinguishable value and trust evaluations. Platforms and publishers may support informed decisions by contextualizing review summaries and communicating product performance and expected benefits clearly. Cross-sectional self-report data, non-probability sampling, and substantial unavailable game-title information limit causal inference and generalizability.