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Character Customization With Cosmetic Microtransactions in Games: Subjective Experience and Objective Performance
Christian Böffel1, Sophie Würger1, Jochen Müsseler1
1Institute of Psychology, Work and Engineering Psychology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
Frontiers in Psychology
|January 21, 2022
Summary
Cosmetic microtransactions in free games enhance player identification with avatars but do not improve objective performance. Avatar customization boosts perceived competence and fun, influencing self-estimated performance in competitive gaming.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Game Studies
Background:
- Free-to-play games often use cosmetic microtransactions to generate revenue.
- These virtual items allow players to customize avatars, potentially enhancing the gaming experience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate the impact of cosmetic microtransactions on player experience in League of Legends.
- To assess effects on objective and self-estimated performance, avatar identification, fun, and perceived competence.
Main Methods:
- A novel laboratory-based experimental task was developed to objectively measure in-game performance.
- Participants played League of Legends in two conditions: with a customized avatar and with a default avatar.
Main Results:
- Cosmetic customization significantly increased subjective identification with the player character.
- Objective performance metrics remained unaffected by avatar customization.
- Player identification correlated positively with perceived competence, fun, and self-estimated performance.
Conclusions:
- Cosmetic microtransactions enhance player-avatar connection and subjective experience, but not objective skill.
- Findings suggest implications for designing microtransactions to influence player engagement and perceived ability in competitive games.
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