Do Virtual Worlds Promote Consumerism in Kids?
Do Virtual Worlds Promote Consumerism in Kids? Saturday May 31, 2008 Most virtual worlds for kids today have an economic system where you can earn virtual points/coins/tokens and use them to purchase virtual items. Typically users have some sort of room or house that they can decorate as well. I was just reading a discussing at Virtual Worlds Connect about this and the the concern that it promotes consumer culture. It’s not the first time I’ve heard this issue raised. Based on my experiences with kids and this type of virtual environment, I think it’s more about power than about shopping. It gives kids a greater sense of control over their world, especially for the tween demographic who are desperately trying to assert their independence. When properly done, it also encourages delayed gratification. If you want a more expensive or rare item, you have to work for it and save. Of course, in some worlds, it’s easy to earn enough for even
