Muhammad Fajar Wahyudi Rahman, Sabzar Ahmad Peerzadah, Theodosia Yunita Durman, Sunu Widianto
Purpose: This study aims to find out whether eSports as intrinsic motivation has a positive effect on innovative behavior and whether knowledge sharing plays a mediating role in this relationship. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses a quantitative approach. The research hypotheses were tested using partial least square-structural equation modeling with multi-group analysis using Smart-PLS 4. The sample was 208 respondents from the academic community affiliated with the universities in Indonesia and India. Findings: For India, there is a positive relationship between eSports-driven intrinsic motivation and innovative behavior. Knowledge sharing acted as a mediator. For Indonesia, however, the results indicate a more complex dynamic. Although intrinsic motivation in eSports leads to knowledge-sharing behaviors, the direct relationship between intrinsic motivation and innovative behavior was not significant. Knowledge sharing, therefore, plays a crucial role as a mediator. Originality/value: The study advances the literature by demonstrating how eSports as intrinsic motivation influences innovative behavior through knowledge sharing based on self-determination theory by focusing on academic communities in two different countries. © 2025, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Department of Digital Business, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia; Department of Commerce, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India; Department of Business Management, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Surabaya, Indonesia; Department of Management and Business, Padjadjaran University, Bandung, Indonesia
