Gamer Resistance to Marketization of Play

Abstract

Video games provide an important context to understand the role of markets in a virtual space. Particularly, consumerism has appeared to have transferred from actual reality in the virtual reality in video games. For instance, growth in use of microtransactions by companies enable consumers to exchange real currency for in-game currency. Thus, the distinction between reality and fiction appears to be blurring. This may be problematic given the hegemony of AAA video game developers (Triple-A games are those with very high development and promotion budgets), commonality of neoliberal appeals in video games, and the potential influence that video games can have on the gamer’s material world. This article provides an analysis of the connections between video games and a market society and identifies some forms of consumer rejection of the commodification of virtual items in the virtual worlds established by video games. Additionally, the implications of microtransactions on the market in video games along with resistance to commodification of video games are discussed.