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New data collection methods and processing capabilities facilitate online personalization of advertisements but also challenge youth’s understanding of how these methods work. Teenagers are often unaware of the commercial use of their personal information and are susceptible to the persuasive effects of personalized advertising. This raises questions about their ability to engage in privacy-protecting behaviors. This article examines teenagers’ coping responses to commercial data collection and subsequent personalized advertising, considering their limited knowledge. Ten focus groups with 35 teenagers aged 12–14 were conducted. The findings show that teenagers hold certain folk theories (i.e., incomplete and/or inaccurate representations of reality) about how and why their personal information is being collected for commercial purposes (e.g., commercial data collection is unavoidable or all principles of privacy statements are the same). Their coping responses regarding commercial data collection (e.g., limiting information disclosure or refusing to accept privacy policies) and personalized advertising (e.g., trying to change settings or avoiding interaction) are often based on these folk theories and embedded in their everyday practices. Despite teenagers’ efforts, we argue that their responses might not always be effective. Implications for educators, advertisers, and policymakers are discussed.

Microtransactions have become an integral part of the digital game industry. This has spurred researchers to explore the effects of this monetization strategy on players’ game enjoyment and intention to continue using the game. Hitherto, these relationships were exclusively investigated using cross-sectional survey designs. However, self-report measures tend to be only mildly correlated with actual media consumption. Moreover, cross-sectional designs do not allow for a detailed investigation into the temporal dimension of these associations. To address these issues, the current study leverages smartphone trace data to explore the longitudinal effect of in-game purchase behavior on continual mobile game use. In total, approximately 100,000 hours of mobile game activity among 6,340 subjects were analyzed. A Cox regression with time-dependent covariates was performed to examine whether performing in-game purchases affects the risk of players removing the game app from their repertoire. Results show that making an in-game purchase decreases this risk initially, prolonging the survival time of the mobile gaming app. However, this effect significantly changes over time. After the first three weeks, a reversal effect is found where previous in-game purchase behavior negatively affects the further survival of the game. Thus, mobile games without previous monetary investment are more prone to long-term continual game use if they survive the first initial weeks. Methodological and theoretical implications are discussed. As such, the current study adds to those studies that use computational methods within a traditional inferential framework to aid theory-driven inquiries.

Purpose This study aims to explore whether parents perceive themselves as responsible for helping their teenage children (aged 13–17 years) cope with the persuasive effects of personalized advertising and the related process of online data collection. In addition, this study aims to examine how this parental responsibility is shaped. Design/methodology/approach A survey among parents (N = 354) of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 years was conducted. Findings Exploratory analyses showed that parents are highly concerned about their teens’ exposure to personalized advertising and online data collection, and that they consider themselves and the commercial companies behind these practices as responsible for protecting teenagers. Furthermore, the study showed that parents who believe that their children have higher levels of media skills presume less negative and more positive influences of personalized advertising on their children. The presumed negative influences increase parental concerns and responsibility, while presumed positive influences decrease parental concerns and responsibility. Originality/value Most previous studies on personalized advertising and online data collection were conducted among the teenagers themselves or discussed the regulatory framework concerning this topic. This study, however, focuses on one of the most important socialization agents that could help teenagers cope with these practices. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to examine parents’ views regarding personalized advertising targeting teenagers and it provides insights in how parents perceive their own responsibility.

This article investigates beliefs that players of digital games hold toward the practice of in-game advertising (IGA), referred to as \"attitudes toward in-game advertising\" (AttIGA). The hedonic nature of IGA is the strongest, positive predictor of AttIGA. Beliefs about IGA as a means to lower games' prices contribute positively, and beliefs about fostering materialism contribute negatively to AttIGA. Further, the relative importance of the belief factors determining AttIGA relates to the playing frequency of role-playing games and racing games. The results contribute to theory building and practical considerations of digital games as an important yet underutilized advertising medium.

No other entertainment sector has experienced the same explosive growth as the digital game industry. From the 1970s onwards, digital games have evolved from a pastime predominantly favored by adolescent males into a mainstream medium that is enjoyed by both genders and by any age group. As a result, the advertising industry has taken an interest in the incorporation of their advertisements in digital games, believing they may be suitable vehicles for the reaching of their target markets. The goal of the doctoral study is to combine insights from both digital gaming and advertising literature and shed more light on the effectiveness of in-game advertising. More specifically, it elaborates on the influence of several aspects of the context in which a digital game is played (i.e. the game context) and the player's subjective experiences in response to this context, with a focus on player involvement. To this purpose, three experimental studies were set up. The first experiment investigates the impact of the social setting in which a digital game is played, the second experiment examines the effect of the control mechanisms that are used to play a game, and the third experiment analyzes the influence of the story that has been woven into a game. Additionally, the experimental studies also make use of different types of game platforms, games, in-game advertisements and brands. The results of the studies ultimately contribute to the knowledge of when, how, and in which games advertising can be incorporated in order to achieve digital games' full potential as an advertising medium, taking into account all parties involved (i.e. advertisers, game companies and gamers). Finally, the dissertation is able to formulate specific implications and recommendations for both future academic research and the industry.

Digital games have invaded every part of the population as millions of people from all socio-demographic backgrounds play them. The digital game industry has flourished into a highly profitable business and as a result has become one of the biggest entertainment sectors globally. Digital games are therefore an important medium for advertisers to reach their target audience. Advertisers can make use of In-Game Advertising or IGA, which can be defined as the incorporation of advertisements inside existing digital games that are integrated as an element of the game environment. Currently, IGA is mostly used in racing games and sports games situated in realistic (or sometimes futuristic) settings, and is largely absent in fantasy games, such as Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG). Incorporating IGA in fantasy games is no easy feat. Nevertheless, there are several opportunities to using IGA in fantasy games, and in particular in MMORPGs.