Mäntymäki, M., Salo, J. (2015). “Why do teens spend real money in virtual worlds? A consumption values and developmental psychology perspective on virtual consumption”. International Journal of Information Management, 35, pp. 124-134

Idée dominante : Les adolescents achètent un compte premium et des objets virtuels dans un Social Virtual World pour améliorer leur expérience d’utilisateur.

Résumé : Cet article étudie pourquoi les adolescents achètent des objets virtuels et des comptes premium dans un social virtual world et en quoi cela est lié à leur stade de développement psychologique. Afin de répondre à cette question, les auteurs s’appuient sur la théorie des valeurs de consommation et la psychologie.

Les auteurs mènent une étude empirique sur les utilisateurs d’Habbo Hotel, un Social Virtual World très populaire auprès des adolescents.

L’étude détermine 4 raisons principales à l’achat de biens virtuels : profiter des bénéfices offerts par le compte premium, l’aspect décoratif des objets, l’amusement et le statut qui découle de leur achat. Les utilisateurs consomment des biens virtuels pour améliorer leur expérience au sein du social virtual world. En ce sens, l’achat de biens virtuels est donc avant tout instrumental.

Les utilisateurs prennent en compte les bénéfices apportés par les biens virtuels comparés à la somme d’argent qu’ils doivent dépenser pour en bénéficier, la notion de rapport-qualité prix est importante. A noter que certains utilisateurs trouvent que le simple fait de chercher des produits dans le catalogue virtuel d’Habbo est une expérience plaisante.

L’aspect décoratif des objets est le deuxième facteur d’achat. Les utilisateurs achètent des biens dits décoratifs pour prendre ensuite plaisir à personnaliser leur appartement virtuel ou leur avatar. Il s’agit d’un moyen d’exprimer sa créativité et de se créer un statut au sein du social virtual world. De cette manière les joueurs acheteurs de biens virtuels se distinguent des utilisateurs ordinaires. Il y a également une forme de discrimination envers les utilisateurs ordinaires, ce qui pousse les joueurs à acheter un compte premium pour mieux s’intégrer au sein de la communauté.

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Note d’intérêt : Il s’agit de la seule étude dans laquelle l’achat de biens virtuels est abordé comme ayant un but instrumental. Le fait que le processus d’achat en lui-même soit considéré comme une activité hédonique est intéressant et à envisager pour notre propre étude exploratoire.

La barrière entre acheteurs de biens virtuels et utilisateurs ordinaires est également intéressante, les joueurs vont même jusqu’à parler de discrimination. Il nous faudra voir en quoi cela s’applique aux DLC, qui dans les jeux multi-joueurs segmentent également la communauté en deux groupes.

L’étude psychologique démontre que l’achat de biens virtuels facilite la construction de l’identité des adolescents. Ces derniers peuvent expérimenter plusieurs identités à travers leur avatar pour trouver leur place dans la société. L’achat d’un compte premium est également le moyen d’appartenir à un groupe au sein du social virtual world.

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