In a new study conducted by PlaySpan and VG Market it was revealed that almost 1 out of 3 gamers (31%) have purchased virtual game content using real money. Consoles lead the way making up 51% of the total money spenton virtual content, followed by social networking games (Facebook, etc) with 30% and with MMO’s bringing in the rear.
Of those who purchased virtual content, 57% purchased items at least once per month. 72% stated they expect to spend the same or more than they did in 2010.
So what type of virtual contest are gamers buying? In-game currency won with 48% of gamers saying they have bought in-game currency in the last year, followed closely by maps and levels which 47% of players have purchased in the last year. Armor and gear came in third with 29% of players purchasing these types of virtual items in the last 12 months.
Women are three times more likely to spend money on Facebook credits to purchase in-game items and out-spend their male counterparts in MMO games $111 to $74, when they purchase directly from the game maker. It becomes closer when the purchases are made from third-party sites, $86 to $77.
When looking at casual online games, the difference between men and women becomes even greater with women spending 40% more than males. Who knew trying to get your girlfriend or wife into video games meant going broke?
Approximate real-world money that gamers spent on virtual currency, items, or content in each type of game (from first party publishers) in the last 12 months:
| Game Type | Males (Avg. per year) | Females (Avg. per year) |
| MMOs | $77 | $86 |
| Free-to-play games | $62 | $56 |
| PC Games with Online Play | $62 | $80 |
| Console Games with Online Play | $60 | $60 |
| Social Networking Games | $46 | $54 |
| Casual Games | $36 | $51 |
Approximate real-world money that gamers spent on virtual currency, items, or content in each type of game (from third-party websites) in the last 12 months:
| Game Type | Males (Avg. per year) | Females (Avg. per year) |
| MMOs | $74 | $111 |
| Free-to-play games | $53 | $24 |
| PC Games with Online Play | $47 | $82 |
| Console Games with Online Play | $48 | $52 |
| Social Networking Games | $39 | $38 |
| Casual Games | $28 | $62 |
It’s not just women that spend more on online games, eastern players (Asia) spend nearly 60% more than western players (EU, NA).
If you want the full report, head over to PlaySpan.com and fillout their form.
ummm actually western is EU, NA and eastern is Asia.
and which part of it that mention about this 60% cuz this Playspan-VirtualGoods-Report.pdf only show data of USA.
is there another link or something? i would like to see it cuz 60% is a big deal maybe it’ll make many company interested in having Asia server for their game(200-300ms ping is suck XD)
thanks for pointing out the east/west mistake. I received a breakdown of the report from Playspan, so I didn’t actually download the file, so perhaps it’s layed out a bit different from what I received. But the exact quote was:
“Geography differences – The west ($36) spends approximately 60 percent more on weapons than the average east coast gamer ($22). And these results are nearly identical for armor and equipment ($36 vs. $21).”
“…and out-spend their male counterparts in MMO games $111 to $74, when they purchase directly from the game maker.”
Women buy more from third-party websites in MMOs than males. Your article doesn’t match with the table below.
From first party publishers they only buy for nearly $86, if we follow the table…