The rapid growth of the virtual reality (VR) gaming industry has underscored the importance of psychological and experiential factors in maintaining sustained engagement. Based on the self-determination theory and experiential consumption perspective (ECP), this research proposed a conceptual framework incorporating gamer-avatar identification and experiential factors as key determinants of VR games continuance usage intention and considered the moderating role of uncertainty avoidance. We gathered 385 valid responses from Chinese VR gamers. The research model, analyzed via AMOS and SPSS, showed that gamer-avatar identification significantly affects continuance usage intention, with immersion and perceived authenticity serving as crucial mediators. In addition, uncertainty avoidance moderates these relationships. In contrast, perceived value did not mediate this relationship, challenging traditional consumer behavior theories.
