- 10:00: Trial lecture
- 12:00: Public defence
The ordinary opponents are:
- First opponent: Senior Researcher Beate Wold Hygen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
- Second opponent: Professor Terhi-Anna Wilska, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
- Leader of the committee: Professor Espen Borgå Johansen, OsloMet
The leader of the public defense is Head of Studies Luiza Freitas Caldas, OsloMet.
The main supervisor is Senior Researcher Nina Heidenstrøm, OsloMet. The co-supervisor is Professor Emerita Ingunn Sandaker, OsloMet.
Thesis abstract
The video game industry has evolved into a global economic force, with modern games blending entertainment, social interaction, and virtual economies.
Features like in-game shops and customizable avatars influence both gameplay and how players express themselves, especially for young people at a formative developmental stage. However, such commercialization raises ethical issues about exploitation and marginalization.
This dissertation investigates how young players navigate their identities within the video game market, focusing on the interaction between commercial systems, personal agency, and social dynamics.
Method
Using a framework that combines psychology and cultural consumption, the dissertation introduces the concept of ‘player-consumer navigation’ to explain how young players balance their roles as both consumers and players.
The methodology includes two complementary studies:
- an immersive netnography of seven commercial games to examine in-game monetization
- play-along interviews with 41 Norwegian players aged 10–24 to understand how they engage with the market to build their identities
Results
The results are presented across three articles. The first highlights how in-game shops encourage spending through choice architecture, manifested through the way items are designed and marketed.
The second article examines the role of cosmetic items (i.e., skins) in identity expression, showing how players repurpose virtual goods for individuality and social belonging.
The third article explores symbolic game consumption through gender dynamics. It shows how gendered design and market assumptions reinforce ideas about masculinity and gaming, which contribute to the marginalization of female and nonbinary players.
Together, the research indicates that in-game consumer behavior extends beyond market exchange and is deeply rooted in social and cultural contexts.
While vulnerable to market influences, young players actively participate in and influence commercial systems while negotiating their hybrid role as player-consumers.
