Yearning for the Future: Exploring Forestalgia through Generation Z’s Experiences : An exploratory study on forestalgia experiences in upcoming video game title releases

Sammanfattning: Background: Nowadays nostalgia has become a staple within the marketers’ toolkit on grounds of the plethora of positive effects it has on consumers. It is however solely focused on memories and the individual’s yearning for the past. A new concept, forestalgia, is the direct counterpart to nostalgia, and it focuses on the individual’s yearning for an idealised future. Due to the infancy and limited knowledge of this concept, little is known about the practicality and appeal of this concept for advertisers. This research paper aims to utilise video games as a case to expand upon existing knowledge regarding forestalgia, potentially providing insights that can benefit advertisers.  Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to examine forestalgic experiences of Gen Z using gaming and Counter-Strike 2 as a case to develop in-depth knowledge of this phenomenon, address gaps in the existing literature and develop avenues for future research to be conducted in this area.  Method: Exploratory research has been conducted on this topic with the use of semi-structured interviews, and further analysed using the IPA (Interpretative phenomenological analysis) method. The semi-structured interviews were conducted with Gen Z individuals who have an extent of familiarity with gaming, specifically the Counter-Strike series. The paper was written with interpretivism as the ontology, and interpretivism as the epistemology, and was written with an abductive approach.  Conclusion: The findings explored the experience of forestalgia amongst participants, identifying key themes extracted from the interviews conducted. In addition, the findings displayed potential links between nostalgia and forestalgia, whilst also contesting the claim that individuals under 30 don’t experience personal nostalgia. The findings also highlight potential avenues for further research on forestalgia.