Only a Collection of Pixels?

$5+ billion business worldwide and rapidly growing. “Analysts estimate that virtual goods could bring in a billion dollars in the United States and around $5 billion worldwide this year — all for things that, aside from perhaps a few hours of work by an artist and a programmer, cost nothing to produce.” (NY Times) From [...]

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Virtual Clothes to E-pets

Profit from virtual money: “Asians spend an estimated $5 billion a year on virtual purchases via websites such as Qzone, Cyworld in South Korea and mobile-phone based network Gree in Japan, according to Plus Eight Star. That’s about 80 percent of the global market for virtual products, it says.” (China Daily) Status-orientated: “East Asian societies [...]

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Dematerialisation of Consumption

Vili Lehdonvirta’s PhD thesis (.pdf) on people who spend real money on virtual goods. “I locate virtual goods as the latest step in an overall digitalisation of consumption, and examine the reasons behind this “virtual consumption” through data gathered from some of its primary arenas.” (Virtual Consumption by Vili Lehdonvirta)

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