Why do gamers buy skins in games? Scientists' answer and a comparison of Gen Z and millennial motivations
Researchers evaluated factors that can influence the decision to purchase items and noted the difference between generations of players.
Recently, the article “Esports in-game consumption across generations: Integrating motivated reasoning theory and the theory of planned behavior” attracted the attention of the gaming community. The authors examine the decision-making processes underlying the consumption of virtual NFP products in free-to-play games.
They decided to find out why people buy so-called “non-functional products” – these include purely decorative items in online games, such as avatars or cosmetics, which only change the appearance of a player's profile icon/character or related items.
Researchers note that although such products do not provide in-game advantages, they have become the main source of income for the rapidly growing online gaming industry. Such products are mainly consumed by representatives of Generation Z and millennials.
The study found that the motivation for buying skins differs significantly between generations:
The results show that Generation Z and millennials rely on different cognitive mechanisms: Generation Z places greater importance on attitudes, while millennials are more influenced by subjective norms. This finding suggests that generational cohort membership can determine how motivation relates to cognitive evaluations and subsequent behavior, providing additional insights into differences in consumer decision-making in the digital environment.
It turned out that for representatives of Generation Z (people born between 1997 and 2012), their personal attitude towards the item is a key factor. The study showed that Gen Z individuals are less guided by the opinions of others and, in essence, simply buy the skins they personally like.
The situation is different with millennials (born between 1981 and 1996). For such people, the “subjective norm” plays a decisive role. To a large extent, a millennial's decision to purchase depends on how the item will be perceived by others.
The data obtained by the researchers can be used in the development of marketing campaigns:
In particular, given that Gen Z's purchasing behavior is more self-directed and driven by personal attitudes towards in-game purchases, marketers should focus on personalized messages that align with audience attitudes and resonate with their sense of identity and self-expression in the game. At the same time, millennials' purchasing decisions are more dependent on social factors, such as perceived approval or social trends, which indicates the need to focus on community and social proof – for example, through collaboration with influencers or the use of in-game social proof.
Data collection was carried out through an online survey. For example, participants were recruited through posts on Reddit forums of large video games with a high level of user interaction, including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota, League of Legends, and Fortnite.
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