How Scarcity and a Need to Feel Unique Motivate Children to Acquire Rare Consumer Items

Abstract

A revolutionary cellphone game called “Pokemon Go” encouraged players to move about in the real world in an attempt to collect as many virtual images of characters as they could from a cartoon series. Why do individuals seek out hard-to-complete collections? A review of research on scarcity, and research on the need for uniqueness (the motivation to distinguish oneself from others), are both analyzed to illustrate why people acquire rare objects and seek out distinctive experiences. Before the “Pokemon Go” cellphone game the Pokemon collectible card game led to incidents of thefts, assaults, and obsessive behaviors. With the “Pokemon Go” cellphone game players have put themselves in harm’s way by not paying attention to traffic when crossing the street, by trespassing onto other people’s property without their consent, and by entering unsafe neighborhoods. Such dramatic incidents stemming from these two games demonstrate how strong the urge to complete a collection can become, and why it is important to examine these motivations.