Young people feel the need to spend money on gaming items to avoid being bullied
Children face social isolation and bullying if they don't purchase cosmetics and skins in games, study suggests.
To Camilla Knutsen Steinnes and Clara Julia Reich from the Oslo Metropolitan University was commissioned to study the influence of money in video games on children aged 10 to 15 years. and therefore obeys certain standards:
“They are simply different parts of the social world in which they navigate, and where appearance is an important marker of identity”.
“The pressure to fit in is taking on new forms. Some children may end up feeling like an outcast if they don't have enough money (such as internet fees, gaming equipment, or in-game currency) to play with their friends, or they may be bullied based on what “look” they have. use”.
Steinnes and Reich blame game companies that advertise items in such a way that they are impossible to miss and ignore.
“There are important differences when comparing video games to other leisure activities among children. For example, in soccer, children may be exposed to commercial content such as soccer shoe banners, usually for a limited time in a given physical context (e.g., during training on a soccer field). However, video games use a variety of marketing strategies to target children and their need to feel a sense of belonging and individuality. Moreover, we found various deceptive design strategies (i.e., “dark patterns”) and a lack of regulation in games. This means that young people have less consumer protection online compared to real-life arenas.” spend fictitious currency in their games, thereby deceiving children who do not understand that they are paying real money for items.
(news cover source)