Video Game Microtransactions & Loot Boxes - An Empirical Study on the Effectiveness of Social Responsibility Measures
Research output: Contributions to collected editions/works › Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Research › peer-review
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Gamification and Social Networks : in Education. ed. / Ugur Bakan; Sheri Berkeley. London: Macro World Publishing, 2021. p. 19-52.
Research output: Contributions to collected editions/works › Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Research › peer-review
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TY - CHAP
T1 - Video Game Microtransactions & Loot Boxes - An Empirical Study on the Effectiveness of Social Responsibility Measures
AU - Porath, Jannik
AU - Süßmair, Augustin
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - The business model of video games has undergone radical change in recent years. Many of today’s video game companies no longer earn their money with the game itself, but rather with the sale of game content within the game. One of the most popular forms of these so-called microtransactions are loot boxes, packages with game content of random value. Apart from paving the way for gambling, many researchers also see the danger of overspending as a result of impulsive purchases, especially for young people. This led to the demand for more consumer and youth protection, both through legislation and social responsibility action taken by video game developers. By conducting an online experiment with 267 participants, two proposals for potential measures of responsible action were examined for their effectiveness: the price display in a real currency instead of the display in a virtual currency, and a two-step purchase process. With that, this study represents one of the first experimental approaches to investigate the psychological aspects of video game microtransactions. The results show that the price display in a real currency leads to a higher spending awareness, but also higher spending in comparison to the price display in a virtual currency.
AB - The business model of video games has undergone radical change in recent years. Many of today’s video game companies no longer earn their money with the game itself, but rather with the sale of game content within the game. One of the most popular forms of these so-called microtransactions are loot boxes, packages with game content of random value. Apart from paving the way for gambling, many researchers also see the danger of overspending as a result of impulsive purchases, especially for young people. This led to the demand for more consumer and youth protection, both through legislation and social responsibility action taken by video game developers. By conducting an online experiment with 267 participants, two proposals for potential measures of responsible action were examined for their effectiveness: the price display in a real currency instead of the display in a virtual currency, and a two-step purchase process. With that, this study represents one of the first experimental approaches to investigate the psychological aspects of video game microtransactions. The results show that the price display in a real currency leads to a higher spending awareness, but also higher spending in comparison to the price display in a virtual currency.
KW - Business psychology
KW - Learning Environments
KW - Education
KW - Social Responsibility
KW - Computer Gaming and Animation
UR - https://macroworldpub.com/kitap_makale_liste.php?kitap_id=30
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/e0cd3e76-cf42-3be4-8b9e-6fe084ef93e5/
UR - https://www.amazon.com/Gamification-Social-Networks-Education-Berkeley-ebook/dp/B09Q1G5SDH?asin=B09Q1G5SDH&revisionId=&format=4&depth=1
U2 - 10.15340/978-625-00-0106-6_2
DO - 10.15340/978-625-00-0106-6_2
M3 - Contributions to collected editions/anthologies
SN - 978-625-00-0106-6
SP - 19
EP - 52
BT - Gamification and Social Networks
A2 - Bakan, Ugur
A2 - Berkeley, Sheri
PB - Macro World Publishing
CY - London
ER -