Live stream market is rapidly growing, with its traits that anyone can join or start a live stream, a diverse live stream content and model have been developed. Most studies related to live stream mainly focus on social motivations or other social factors. Less study has attempted to understand the effect of consumer mental simulation when watching a stream. The current study proposes that when live stream audiences are watching a stream, live stream may audience’s mental simulation (interactivity, vividness, entertainment, self-referencing) that will lead to positive engagement and further influence audience’s donate intention. Therefore, this study aims to examine the four mental simulation that occurs in watching live stream programs and their relationships with consumer engagement and thus intention to donate a streamer. An empirical study and online survey sampling live stream audiences are conducted. This study has important implication of how mental simulation influences audiences’ live stream engagement and further effects their intention to donate to a live streamer. Many live streamers have replied on audience’s donation for better content delivery; however, driving audience’s donation behavior has been found difficult. This study shed light on a better understanding of how to drive audience’s donation intention by simulating their mental imagination.

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