Entropia Universe :Study Virtual Buying Habits
Planet Calypso and Florida State University Researchers Team Up to Study Virtual Buying Habits
Study to take place during Miss Calypso beauty pageant
Goteborg, Sweden - November 20, 2009 - First Planet Company, developer and publisher of the largest real cash economy MMORPG, announced today that it is working with a Florida State University doctoral student in the College of Business on a new study with far reaching implications in the MMO and virtual world industries. This study will help to determine if a player's experience with a product in a virtual world influences their intention to purchase a product and how that experience can affect a brand.
First Planet Company and business scholars at The Florida State University and Stockholm School of Economics have partnered to develop answers surrounding buying habits in virtual worlds. The study being conducted within the upcoming Miss Calypso beauty pageant on Planet Calypso seeks to understand how the mental state of a virtual world user influences his or her attitude toward, and intention to purchase digital products within virtual worlds. Ultimately, the results of this project may help scientists to develop a better understanding of cognitive states and aspects of consumer behavior, while helping businesses to better understand how to more effectively navigate eCommerce environments. Results from this study will be available in Q1 of 2010.
"Despite the increasing attention that virtual worlds have seen with respect to marketing by companies, little is known about the perception of products within virtual worlds. Even less is known about how a consumer's cognitive state resulting from an experience with a product in a virtual world may influence his or her intention to purchase a product," said Rob Hooker, a doctoral candidate who is conducting an independent study in the College of Business at The Florida State University. "This study is the first chance to determine if people will buy products in real life that they see on avatars, and what influences them to buy those products for their own avatars as well."
The 6th annual Miss Calypso beauty pageant will take place on November 22nd, at 3:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (Noon on the West Coast) in the MMORPG Planet Calypso. This popular annual event is run by Singular Events, an in-world event promoter, in association with First Planet Company. Over 30 avatars have been selected to compete with three styles: casual or formal dress, full metal gear, and bathing suit/lingerie outfits. First Planet Company will be providing a unique clothing item to all avatars that take part in the online survey following the event. Details of how to participate in the survey will be announced during the event. The pageant has free admission for all spectators, however as it is usually a busy night, it is recommended getting there early to secure a good viewing spot.
First Planet Company is the developer and publisher of Planet Calypso, the largest real cash economy MMORPG in the world. It is also the first MMORPG to use CryTek's stunning CryENGINE 2 for amazing graphics and physics. Six years after the initial launch as Project Entropia, the game is now called "Planet Calypso" and its real cash economy, using a fixed exchange rate of 10:1 between its PED currency and the USD, is still the mainstay of this MMORPG. Players have the ability to participate in a unique virtual economy with real prospects.
About First Planet Company
First Planet Company AB is a subsidiary of the MindArk Group. First Planet Company AB develops and markets Planet Calypso, a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) based on the Entropia Platform, and is part of the Entropia Universe. Set in a distant future, the planet Calypso is home to an expanding human colony struggling with the natural and economic elements involved in establishing their new civilization.