Hedonic Consumption in Virtual Reality

With the fast development of online communities, it has become critical for firms to understand these communities’ influence on consumers’ consumption experiences. This is especially true in the case of hedonic consumption. The authors used a mixed approach of both quantitative and qualitative studies to analyze consumer online reviews on specific virtual realities (i.e., online video games). This study uncovers three categories of drivers of hedonic consumption in virtual reality, including product attributes, developer strategies, and virtual game community; and three dimensions of outcome, including product-related experience, and behavioral and emotional experiences. The findings also suggest that community involvement intensifies consumers’ hedonic experiences.