2018 EJRNL PP Ashleigh K. Shelton 1
Terbatas ilham rahayu
» ITB
Terbatas ilham rahayu
» ITB
The present study examines the virtual spending habits of Residents in Second Life, a unique Massively
Multi-player Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) with a thriving economy where virtual goods and services
are purchased with real money. Large corporations are entering the virtual worlds of MMORPGs
through advertising; yet, few studies have examined the relationship between virtual identities, virtual
consumption and real world consumption. This study formulates a preliminary taxonomy of user motivations
for playing Second Life and addresses how these diverse reasons impact both virtual and ‘real
world’ consumer behaviors. A total of 209 participants completed a Web-based questionnaire. The independent
variable in the study was motivation for using Second Life, and respondents completed measures
of frequency of purchasing different products, motivations for using Second Life, and demographic characteristics.
Results are consistent with the expectation that not all Second Life users are the same in their
motivations or behaviors, despite popular media coverage of the phenomenon.