علیرضا عبدالله زاده اقبلاغ

The tourism industry, leveraging modern technologies, holds vast potential for sustainable economic and cultural development. One of the innovative and influential tools in this field is video games, which can creatively enhance the image of tourism destinations by simulating real or imaginary environments. This study aims to investigate the impact of video games related to tourism destinations on players' willingness to visit those destinations.

The case study for this research is the game "GTA ۵," which simulates a fictional urban environment i  ired by Los Angeles. This research is applied in nature and employs a descriptive-survey method. The statistical population includes gamers from internet cafés and video game stores in the city of Ardabil, with data collected using a semi-structured questionnaire.

The findings indicate that experiencing video games has a positive and significant impact on players' willingness to visit tourism destinations. Factors such as enjoyment, creative freedom, and storytelling in games were identified as the most influential variables in increasing players' willingness. In contrast, visual quality and social interactions had a lesser effect compared to other factors.

The results of this research demonstrate that video games can serve as a novel tool in tourism marketing. These tools not only enhance the image of tourism destinations but also create opportunities for creative interactions between players and destinations. Finally, this study offers suggestions for developing video games related to tourism destinations and strategies for marketing in this field.

The tourism industry, leveraging modern technologies, holds vast potential for sustainable economic and cultural development. One of the innovative and influential tools in this field is video games, which can creatively enhance the image of tourism destinations by simulating real or imaginary environments. This study aims to investigate the impact of video games related to tourism destinations on players' willingness to visit those destinations.

The case study for this research is the game "GTA ۵," which simulates a fictional urban environment i  ired by Los Angeles. This research is applied in nature and employs a descriptive-survey method. The statistical population includes gamers from internet cafés and video game stores in the city of Ardabil, with data collected using a semi-structured questionnaire.

The findings indicate that experiencing video games has a positive and significant impact on players' willingness to visit tourism destinations. Factors such as enjoyment, creative freedom, and storytelling in games were identified as the most influential variables in increasing players' willingness. In contrast, visual quality and social interactions had a lesser effect compared to other factors.

The results of this research demonstrate that video games can serve as a novel tool in tourism marketing. These tools not only enhance the image of tourism destinations but also create opportunities for creative interactions between players and destinations. Finally, this study offers suggestions for developing video games related to tourism destinations and strategies for marketing in this field.