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Are female skins sold for a lower price? Evidence from the Fortnite game

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  • Stadtmann, Georg
  • Tosun, Aynur Dilan
  • Pierdzioch, Christian

Abstract

Much significant research has been done to shed light on discrimination of females in, for example, labor markets. Less is known, in contrast, about the amount of discrimination in the virtual world of online gaming. In an early study, Castronova (2004) finds that female avatars receive about 10% lower prices in online auctions. In this research note, we re-examine the pricing of avatars sold in the Fortnite game. We cannot reject the null hypothesis that female and male avatars are sold at the same prices. We also account for the impact of a Fortnite sex scandal on the price differential between female and male avatars.

Suggested Citation

  • Stadtmann, Georg & Tosun, Aynur Dilan & Pierdzioch, Christian, 2020. "Are female skins sold for a lower price? Evidence from the Fortnite game," Discussion Papers 420, European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder), Department of Business Administration and Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:zbw:euvwdp:420
    DOI: 10.11584/opus4-773
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Edward Castronova, 2004. "The Price of Bodies: A Hedonic Pricing Model of Avatar Attributes in a Synthetic World," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(2), pages 173-196, May.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    gender discrimination; Fortnite; gaming; Freemium; product differentiation; market segmentation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • M31 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Marketing and Advertising - - - Marketing

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