Intention to Adopt Digital Games for Safety Training in Young Farm Operators: The Role of Ease of Use, Perceived Usefulness, and Game Design Characteristics

The development of digital games has proven particularly fruitful for the introduction of new forms of occupational safety training in various work sectors, but less is known about their use in sectors as hazardous as agriculture. In this study, we used a path model to analyze the triggers for the intention to use digital games as a safety training method in a group of young agricultural operators. A questionnaire was used to investigate participants' intention to use games as safety training tools, perception of usefulness, perception of specific game design characteristics, and perceived ease of use. Game design characteristics and perceived ease of use were positively associated with perceived usefulness, which, in turn, was positively related to the intention to use digital games. These results provided some insights into the most critical variables that can be influenced to increase young farmers' intention to use digital games for effective safety training.