Linkage of Virtual Activities with Real Money Spending in Online Games

Online games are one of the fastest growing segments of virtual community platforms with many people gathering together. Several distinct characteristics of online games make them a theoretically interesting research context to examine. First, the dual-currency system of virtual and real money embedded in online games enables developers to implement freemium model. Second, online games allow players to collaborate with others to achieve online game missions. Third, the missions given to players within a game make them utilize various strategies. Along with these three key characteristics of online games, our research aims at understanding the dynamic associations between game players’ virtual activities and real money spending. The findings of this research will contribute to the extant literature on virtual economies and bear salient managerial insights for numerous businesses utilizing virtual resources.

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