Global Trends in Virtual Luxury: Examining Avatar Identification, Virtual Materialism, and Status Consumption in Online Gaming

Abstract

Despite the global increase in online gaming with luxury fashion items, gamers’ purchases of these items in virtual environments remain understudied. Utilizing the diffusion of innovation theory, the research analyzes data from 268 Fortnite gamers in Fiji to understand the influence of avatar identification, materialism, and status consumption on purchasing in-game luxury fashion items. The study confirms positive relationships between relative advantage, compatibility, trialability, observability, and in-game luxury avatar identification by employing covariance-based structural equation modeling. It also highlights how materialism and status consumption drive the intention to purchase luxury items in-game, with gamer competence reinforcing the association between avatar identification and purchase intention. The findings offer a deeper theoretical understanding of luxury fashion consumption within the context of online gaming, a rapidly growing global phenomenon. The study provides fresh insights into luxury fashion consumption in online gaming, highlighting the applicability of diffusion of innovation theory across cultures and the changing perception of luxury in virtual spaces. Its findings are valuable for game developers, marketers, and luxury brands in developing and marketing in-game luxury items to a worldwide audience. This study enriches international marketing and digital consumer behavior literature and offers strategic directions for global digital gaming marketing.