The moderating effect of computer users' autotelic need for touch on brand trust, perceived brand excitement, and brand placement awareness in haptic games and in-game advertising (IGA)

Haptic applications for in-game advertising (IGA) remain underexplored in human-computer-interaction (HCI) research despite the exponential growth of haptic technologies. This research examined the interaction of tactile stimuli in a haptics-based computer game and users' autotelic need for touch (NFT) in IGA. Results from a between-subjects experiment (haptic gaming device with force feedback versus haptic gaming device without force feedback) and regression/spotlight analyses indicate the moderating role of autotelic NFT in determining the effects of IGA embedded in a haptic computer game on users' brand trust, perceived brand excitement, and brand placement awareness.