Video games are fantastic! What is more incredible than simply playing a video game and buying new skins and clothing items for your Avatar? If you enjoy playing video games, you know exactly what I mean. Your avatar is crucial, and the style you choose also represents you.
Avatar skins and clothing have been out for years. One of the earlier video games to use customizable and dressable player avatars was a game called Zwinky that allowed players to purchase avatar clothing. As a huge video game lover, I usually tend to play with skins that look like me or create an avatar that allows me to change clothes, such as Bitmoji.
Bitmoji for Snapchat allows users to dress their avatar in various outfits, even according to the certain events, such as weddings, pregnancy, seasons, and more. Huge brands like Adidas, Levi's, Jordan, and Ralph Lauren have partnered with this avatar creator. Just as in real life, wearing designer clothes in a game like Zwinky or on an app like Bitmoji signals wealth within that game or virtual realm. Often, players can buy coins only available for designer clothes—brands like Rocawear, Juicy, and more.
Fashion in Video Gaming
Generation Z is the generation of advanced technology, and they are not afraid to spend a couple of dollars in the gaming industry. In fact, Gen Z spends about 40 billion annually on skins and clothing for their video game avatars.
Before games like Zwinky came on the scene, fashion brands didn't work with video game companies. However, now that technology has expanded, fashion brands are expanding the ways in which they seek to attract customers. But, why do fashion brands want to tap into gaming specifically?
Image courtesy of Zwinky on Slideshare
Fashion brands want to introduce younger customers to the idea of purchasing outfits from them, starting with the apparel that they put into video games. There are more than ten luxury fashion brands that work with video games right now. Game lovers ages 13 to 45 are primarily males players, and they are also the most likely to purchase game avatar skins.
Fashion brands pushing their way into video gaming are changing the game for the way that customers can interact with their favorite brands. For example, the game maker of Fortnite, as of Sept. 20, 2021, partnered with Balenciaga to allow their garments to be sold at the Fortnite Store.
Image courtesy of EpicGames.com
What Fashion Brands Gain from Gaming Collaborations
Partnerships like this allow people to purchase virtual designs from aspirational fashion brands at a lower price, making these collaborations a great marketing opportunity for designers. At the same time, video game companies use the collaborations to differentiate themselves from their competitors. For example, Louis Vuitton partnered with League Of Legends and created two skins for the video game. To avoid making these designs look too much like product placement, the fashion brands designed clothes that will feel natural with the game.
Fashion brands tapping into the gaming market have proven that people will spend money to change their character looks, especially when what they’re buying comes from a brand that they admire in real life. Fashion companies have shown that using video games to market themselves will bring in an audience virtually and physically.
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