TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose This paper aims to investigate the phenomenon of active escapism – a unique form of experiential consumption that engages fantasy and role-play as a means of coping. In contrast with passive forms of escapism, whereby consumers act as observers (e.g. watching a movie), active escapism provides consumers with the opportunity to directly interact with mediated realities, whether constructed in a virtual space (e.g. a video game) or the real world.Design/methodology/approach Within the context of video game consumption, a conceptual framework for active escapism comprised antecedents, processes and consequences is established through literature review, depth interviews and naturalistic inquiry.Findings The findings suggest that active escapism functions as a coping mechanism when consumers are confronted with external stressors that threaten either their sense of identity or control. While other forms of emotion-focused coping relieve stress through psychological avoidance (i.e. refocusing of attention away from stressors), active escapism provides the benefits of affirmation and empowerment through projective fantasy (i.e. role-play) and presence (i.e. immersion into a mediated reality).Originality/value The conceptual framework established by this analysis gives insight into the structure of active escapism as a theoretical construct, providing a foundation for future research. Managerial implications for consumer escapism (e.g. branded in-game content) are discussed.
VL  - 33
IS  - 7
SN  - 0736-3761
DO  - 10.1108/JCM-04-2016-1775
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-04-2016-1775
AU  - Kuo Andrew
AU  - Lutz Richard J.
AU  - Hiler Jacob L.
PY  - 2016
Y1  - 2016/01/01
TI  - Brave new World of Warcraft: a conceptual framework for active escapism
T2  - Journal of Consumer Marketing
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 498
EP  - 506
Y2  - 2024/04/25
ER  -