Yuanfang Liu, Guanghong Xie, Junya Zhi et al.
Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) faces critical challenges in the digital age, including reduced public engagement, restricted accessibility, and difficulties in communicating complex cultural practices to modern audiences. Virtual Reality (VR) games present promising opportunities for ICH preservation and transmission, yet little is known about factors shaping their user acceptance. This study introduces a VR game centered on the Qinhuai Lantern Festival, a representative ICH case. We extend the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by incorporating sensory, emotional, and cultural dimensions as external variables, offering a framework for examining user acceptance of ICH-oriented VR applications. We conduct a survey with 299 respondents and apply structural equation modeling. Findings show that sensory experience significantly enhances both perceived usefulness (beta = 0.401, p < 0.001) and cultural experience (beta = 0.523, p < 0.001), while emotional experience strongly predicts positive attitudes (beta = 0.428, p < 0.001) and emotional loyalty (beta = 0.517, p < 0.001). Moreover, sensory, emotional, and cultural dimensions positively influence users' attitudes and behavioral intentions. The findings provide practical guidelines for the design of future ICH-based VR games.