As our moms used to say, “well, if all your friends bought that bizarre banana costume Fortnite skin, would you do that too?” Yes, mom, yes we would, this new study reports.
Now, it’s no secret that science has rarely been a friend to the gaming industry. A lot of the media’s complaints about gaming, from its violent content to its antisocial nature and so on, have been investigated by various studies over the years. Nothing conclusive has really been proven regarding such claims, either pro or con.
As a result, nothing much has changed, and franchises like Mortal Kombat and Doom continue to be as brilliantly, beautifully, horrifically gory as ever. The ripping and tearing looks set to continue for the foreseeable future, too.
Over the years, new controversies have arisen in the industry, some of which are perhaps much more alarming. Season passes and microtransactions are two of the major ones, scourge of our times #1 and #2. The latter is the issue here, as whether a game denotes itself as free to play or free to start, there’s no bigger warning sign a gamer could spot. Titles from Fortnite to Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp continue to rake in astronomical amounts, and a new study has set out to find out why.
The study, as seen on Science Direct, asked 428 Fortnite gamers about their playing and spending habits within the game. The data revealed that some of the biggest influences on microtransaction purchases were social, which makes perfect sense: if friends are playing a lot, so might you. If they have a range of flashy cosmetics and you’re rocking the default look, you might be tempted to start burning through V-Bucks in an attempt to catch up. Friends who play a lot and spend a lot while playing encourage others to do so, in short, whether directly or indirectly.
Another interesting facet of the study, as Segment Next reports, is the suggestion that the longer a Fortnite fan plays over their career, the more tempting further microtransactions may become. There’s always a carrot to chase, after all, and they’re sure to get the use from these cosmetics because they’re such fans of the game.
The most worrying part of the study, Segment Next goes on to point out, is the conclusion that,
“…an increase in spending frequency will impact how Fortnite players see themselves. The notion of reducing the time spent playing Fortnite, for example, will diminish their sense of self-worth. Hence, such in-game monetization schemes, come around to convince players that they must keep playing and spending to be considered relevant among their peers.”
As small as the study may have been in terms of participants, these damning details represent a ongoing discussion worth continuing.
NEXT: Fortnite Season 3: The Adam West’s Batman Easter Egg You Almost Definitely Missed
