Determinants of children's attitudes towards “advergames”: the case of Mexico

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors contributing to positive attitudes toward advergames among later elementary school children in Mexico. Design/methodology/approach – Data collection was conducted via experiments in an elementary school computer lab followed by a paper‐and‐pencil questionnaire. Findings – Regression analysis revealed that entertainment and sociability positively related to positive attitudes toward advergames, whereas escapism was found to be negatively related. The most robust finding was the significant effect of entertainment on attitudes. Interestingly, Mexican children perceived entertainment and sociability as closely related. In sum, they claimed that they play online games for fun or as a means to socialize, but not to get away from their responsibilities. Research limitations/implications – The games selected for the study promote global brands of an international corporation with considerable time in the market. Future work could develop local or hypothetical brands and test them in the same context. Practical implications – Empirical evidence by means of a Mexican sample contributes by providing support about attitudes' formation and computer usage among Latin American children. Originality/value – The study contributes by providing valuable insights about children's attitudes toward advergames formation.