This lack of knowledge prevents game makers from properly designing in-game competition functions. However, little is known about how competitive engagement satisfies gamer needs and builds their loyalty and game usage. Online games are popular digital technologies that enable gamers to engage in competitive play. Our model explained 40% of continued playing intention, indicating the practical significance of identifying a target audience and fostering their continued playing intention. Our model contributes to the video game literature by identifying those who are likely to engage in game escapism. Gamer anxiety positively moderates the link between competence frustration and game escapism, but negatively moderates the link between autonomy frustration and game escapism. Game escapism is a mediator in the link between real-world frustration and continued playing intention. We found that only autonomy frustration and competence frustration are related to game escapism and further to continued playing intention. We collected responses from 1,785 online gamers to empirically test our research model. We theorize how types of real-world frustration-namely autonomy frustration, competence frustration, and relatedness frustration-drive game escapism, fostering continued playing intention. Research filling this gap will provide game makers with knowledge on ways to attract gamers and foster continued playing intention, motivating our study. Past research has identified some positive impacts of game escapism, but has not explored what drives gamers to escape into games. This study is novel in being the first attempt to apply social identity and flow theories to explain how avatar attractiveness and customization contribute to online gamers’ flow and loyalty. In addition, avatar identification and flow are important process variables in the above relations. The analytical results indicate that avatar attractiveness and customization are positively related to avatar identification, which is positively related to flow, and then to online gamer loyalty. Structural equation modeling is used for analyses. The responses of 1,944 online gamers are collected. Grounded in social identity and flow theories, the purpose of this paper is to construct a model to explain how avatar attractiveness and customization can impact online gamers’ flow and loyalty. However, little is known about how avatar attractiveness and customization impact online gamers’ flow, i.e., the experience of total concentration with intrinsic enjoyment and loyalty. Avatars are known to be influential in gaming communication.
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