SOCIAL COMPUTER GAMES AS A MARKETING CHANNEL FOR CREATING AND MEETING VIRTUAL NEEDS. AN EXAMPLE OF SECOND LIFE

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 115-125
Author(s):  
Magdalena Hofman-Kohlmeyer
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Computer Games ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Marketing Channel ◽  
Purchase Behavior ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Target Market ◽  
Social Games ◽  
Purchase Behaviors

Internet development and demographic changes among users of computer games caused that the players became an attractive target market in the sale of products and consumer services. Inside the virtual worlds of games, especially in social games such as Second Life, products from various industries and brands are purchased. With the appearance of this phenomenon, scholars focused on understanding of virtual consumption and explore certain regularities and similarities in relation to purchase behavior in the real world. This article aims to present current knowledge in the field of a needs and purchase behaviors in the computer social games based on literature review. The directions of future research will be also presented.

WHY PEOPLE JOIN VIRTUAL WORLDS OF COMPUTER GAMES? QUALITATIVE RESEARCH AMONGST POLISH USERS

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Hofman-Kohlmeyer
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Computer Games ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Target Market ◽  
The World ◽  
Game Environment ◽  
Game Developers ◽  
Depth Interviews

Introduction: When virtual worlds (e.g. Second Life or World of Warcraft) became immensely popular, with millions of active users around the world, real life companies started to utilize them for business purposes, such as testing new products or organizing various events. However, the activities of companies can only be successful if a sufficient number of players are engaged in virtual worlds. Objectives: The present paper is aimed to investigate individual players’ motives for joining virtual worlds of computer games. Methods: The author carried out 22 in-depth interviews amongst polish players (20 were finally accepted) of three virtual worlds: The Sims, Second Life and Euro Track Simulator 2. Interviews were carried out from August 21, 2018 to December 5, 2018. Results: Respondents most frequently mentioned consecutively: curiosity (caused by TV series, TV programme, newspaper or advertisement), interact with others, interest in the topic of a game, enjoyment from playing, opportunity to see or do things unattainable in real life, exploring the virtual world, spending free time. With reference to the gratification paradigm, individual motivations were divided into: experiential (16 motives), functional (6 motives), social (3 motives). From the perspective of marketing managers, understanding the motivations of players allows them to describe the target market of their promotional activities inside the game environment. For game developers, it can help attract new and maintain current users.

Does Second Life Mark the Beginning of a New Era of Online Shopping?

2011 ◽  
pp. 232-247
Author(s):  
Jang Ho Moon ◽  
Yongjun Sung ◽  
S. Marina Choi
Keyword(s):  
Social Presence ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Online Shopping ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
New Era ◽  
Shopping Experience

In this chapter, the authors explore the unique social dimension of shopping in virtual worlds, namely Second Life, by examining the role of avatar-based interactions in determining consumer shopping experience. To this end, an overview of Second Life, and other similar virtual worlds, is provided. This chapter then introduces the concept of social presence and offers a conceptual discussion of how avatar-based shopping in virtual environments is distinctive from shopping in other Web environments. Next, the authors present the preliminary findings of the ongoing research study investigating how consumers’ interactions with salespersons and peer consumers via avatars influence their shopping experience in Second Life. This chapter concludes with a future prospect of virtual worlds and directions for future research.

Virtual Worlds for Science Learning

2010 ◽  
pp. 263-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mick Grimley ◽  
Trond Nilsen ◽  
Roslyn Kerr ◽  
Richard Green ◽  
David Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Learning Theory ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Constructivist Teaching ◽  
Online Game ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Relevant Theory ◽  
Future Research Directions

This chapter proposes that the use of virtual worlds for science education is warranted and fits well with contemporary learning theory in the context of constructivist instructional approaches being desirable and that learners learn best when they are engaged in active mental processing. Over recent years, games have become increasingly social, supporting massively multi-player online game experiences and then evolving into virtual worlds, such as Second Life, which show significant promise for educational uses. This chapter introduces the field of virtual worlds, and then discusses relevant theory and research. The authors describe the potential of virtual worlds for education by emphasizing how they can be leveraged as an effective tool for constructivist teaching techniques. In addition, the authors present some of the literature that supports their use for science education. This chapter concludes with practical concerns and some possible solutions in the context of future research directions.

Advancing Learning Through Virtual Worlds

2010 ◽  
pp. 556-572
Author(s):  
Steve Mahaley ◽  
Robin Teigland
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Styles ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Learning Activity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Implementation Challenges ◽  
Incoming Students

Higher education institutions and corporations are increasingly exploring new pedagogical methods to align with learning styles of incoming students and employees, who are amazingly adept at using Web 2.0 applications. This chapter explores the use of virtual worlds, in particular that of Second Life, in educational activities by organizations such as higher education institutions or corporations. We begin by introducing virtual worlds with a particular focus on Second Life. We then provide an overview of the benefits of this environment for learning activities before presenting a set of potential learning activities that can be conducted within Second Life. We then discuss an in-depth example of 3D teaming-one learning activity within Second Life conducted by the authors. After a discussion of implementation challenges, we then present areas for future research.

Second Life and Access for the Disabled and Homebound

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 147-151
Author(s):  
John W. Traphagan ◽  
Katherine Sanchez
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Community Building ◽  
Internet Technology ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Care Managers ◽  
The Disabled ◽  
E Learning

Internet technology has opened up new vistas for the creation of communities in virtual environment. Research is beginning to emerge that focuses on the use of virtual communities in areas such as e-learning and the potential for use of virtual worlds for both therapy and community building for individuals who are disabled, homebound, and isolated. Second Life, which is a product individuals can join free of charge, has the potential to function as a tool to help care managers and others to work with disabled and homebound individuals in the process of creating social interaction. This article explores Second Life and offers some suggestions for future research in this area.

Understanding Purchasing Behavior within Virtual Worlds

2013 ◽  
pp. 79-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas M. Kaplan ◽  
Michael Haenlein
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Purchase Behavior ◽  
Impulse Buying ◽  
Purchasing Behavior ◽  
Consumption Experience ◽  
Behavior Theories ◽  
To Come

Although the hype around virtual worlds has slowed down in recent months, chances are high that this type of social media will increase in importance over years to come. Many companies which pioneered in entering virtual worlds have left these environments after their first steps. One of the reasons for these initial failures is likely the lack of understanding of in-world consumers and their expectations toward virtual commerce. The purpose of the authors’ chapter is therefore to investigate consumer purchase behavior within the virtual social world Second Life. Specifically, the authors analyze the types of purchase behavior consumers show within such an environment (planned purchases vs. impulse buying) and the factors that influence the decision to buy virtual products and services in exchange for real life money. For this, the authors’ study is based on a combination of a qualitative pre-study consisting of 29 in-depth interviews and a quantitative analysis based on responses obtained from a representative sample of 580 Second Life residents. The authors’ analysis results in the following three findings: First, the authors show that Second Life residents engage in two different types of purchase behavior: planned purchases and impulse buying. Second, the authors show that traditional consumer behavior theories and concepts can be transferred to similar behavior in a virtual world, although with different degrees of importance for different variables. And finally, the authors show that a Second Life resident’s usage intensity and consumption experience have a significant moderating influence on planned purchase behavior but not on impulse buying. From a managerial perspective, the authors’ results imply that Real Life companies that maintain Second Life flagship stores may consider communicating about their virtual products and services within real life. Additionally, Second Life stores should try to make the purchasing process as simple and convenient as possible (in order to increase planned purchases) and to create an overall exciting and pleasant shopping environment to elicit positive emotions among their potential customers (in order to maximize the probability of impulse buying). Finally, since purchasing behavior within Second Life appears to be more individualistic than what can be observed in real life, firms can consider offering virtual products and services in Second Life that are highly extravagant and may never be purchased in Real Life due to fear of other people’s opinions-–which is likely to be of particular importance for fashion goods.

Co-creation and Collaboration in a Virtual World

2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keng Siau ◽  
Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah ◽  
Brian E. Mennecke ◽  
Shu Z. Schiller
Keyword(s):  
Power Systems ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
3D Visualization ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
State University ◽  
Design Project ◽  
Mba Students ◽  
Visualization Design

One of the most successful and useful implementations of 3D virtual worlds is in the area of education and training. This paper discusses the use of virtual worlds in education and describes an innovative 3D visualization design project using one of the most popular virtual worlds, Second Life. This ongoing project is a partnership between IBM and three universities in the United States: the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Iowa State University, and Wright State University. More than 400 MBA students have participated in this project by completing a creative design project that involves co-creation and collaboration in Second Life. The MBA students from the three universities worked in pairs to create designs to represent concepts related to IBM Power Systems, a family of IBM servers. The paper discusses observations and reflections on the 3D visualization design project. The paper concludes with a discussion of future research directions in applying virtual worlds in education.

Co-creation and Collaboration in a Virtual World

2012 ◽  
pp. 323-335
Author(s):  
Keng Siau ◽  
Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah ◽  
Brian E. Mennecke ◽  
Shu Z. Schiller
Keyword(s):  
Power Systems ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
3D Visualization ◽  
Future Research ◽  
State University ◽  
Design Project ◽  
Mba Students ◽  
Visualization Design ◽  
University Of Nebraska Lincoln

One of the most successful and useful implementations of 3D virtual worlds is in the area of education and training. This paper discusses the use of virtual worlds in education and describes an innovative 3D visualization design project using one of the most popular virtual worlds, Second Life. This ongoing project is a partnership between IBM and three universities in the United States: the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Iowa State University, and Wright State University. More than 400 MBA students have participated in this project by completing a creative design project that involves co-creation and collaboration in Second Life. The MBA students from the three universities worked in pairs to create designs to represent concepts related to IBM Power Systems, a family of IBM servers. The paper discusses observations and reflections on the 3D visualization design project. The paper concludes with a discussion of future research directions in applying virtual worlds in education.

VIRTUAL FORMS OF PRMOTION IN COMPUTER GAMES. QUALITATIVE STUDY AMONGST POLISH USERS

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 289-306
Author(s):  
Magdalena Hofman-Kohlmeyer
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Computer Games ◽  
Direct Marketing ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Personal Selling ◽  
Sales Promotion ◽  
Word Of Mouth Communication ◽  
Virtual Events

Increasing migration of audiences from television to playing console and computer games as well as greater results in reception of brand placed inside the games than traditional media attracted attentions of scholars and marketers toward this promotional tool. Average game offer a various ways to convey brand message. The purpose of the research was to identify and describe forms of promotion in virtual worlds of computer games utilized by contemporary organizations. To meet the assumed goals, the author carried out 20 in-depth interviews amongst polish players. Research sample incudes a user’s of chosen three computer games, namely The Sims, Second Life and Euro Truck Simulator 2. Results show that respondents most often listed brands featured with using direct marketing. Majority of those brand appeared as a branded product that can be used by players inside the game but companies also establish virtual headquarters or shops. Second position took advertising which looks similar like in real life and frequently takes forms of virtual billboards or paintings on cars. Public relations contain various virtual events, shows, conferences or branded places built on entertainment purposes. The least numerous groups of brands are personal selling, sales promotion and other forms of promotion (ambient advertising and word of mouth communication).

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