Skins are now an important social marker among kids in Fortnite and video games. A study showed that at school, those who didn’t buy in-game cosmetics were sometimes bullied because they were “poor”.
While Fortnite is extremely popular, a new study shows that kids are being bullied in school because they don’t have skin in the game. Led by Norwegian researchers, the study shows the extent to which video games have become an important social space. among young people. Obviously, real-life values are transferred there, with the same results.
Fortnite skins, the source of school bullying
Conducted for the Norwegian Consumer Research Institute, the study was conducted by observing the behavior of children between the ages of 10 and 15. Goal: To learn more about how they are motivated to spend money on video games. Its results should help the Norwegian government establish early childhood policy in this area.
The study specifically shows that some kids are bullied at school because of their wealth in Fortnite, but more broadly in video games. Money corrupts people, says Geet, children are no exception. Those who do not have skin can therefore be treated.Filthy poor,” the study suggests, just as if they didn’t have the latest fashionable sneakers.
Those with the most expensive skins roam around the playing field. “Children who spend money on their character in the game can get more attention, which can make them popular“, explains Camilla Knutsen Steines, one of the two scientists who led the study. Children’s reputation is thus affected by the amount they spend on games.
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The boundary between reality and fantasy is blurring in children
Researchers explain that the line between play and reality is blurred for children. “There is no clear distinction between their online world and their offline world“, says Ms. Staines. With Fortnite back on the iPhone, it could be worse. Like clothes in real life, “Skins are important identity markers”
To mark your identity, there is a choice of sports. It could be Fortnite, but also FIFA if you like football, or other titles that define who you are. Regardless, most free-to-play games available for kids today include microtransactions.
The study also identified 13 forms of manipulation, which encourage people to invest more time, money or personal data in a game than planned. Children are especially susceptible to this. The study includes loot boxes, game passes, skins: all methods of incentivizing spending that have invaded multiplayer games in recent years.
Source: partner.sciencenorway
- Free-to-play video games like Fortnite cause violence in schools.
- Possession of valuable skins is an important social marker among children.
- The border between reality and virtuality is disappearing in the mental universe of the youngest.
