Report: Virtual currency No. 1 digital goods purchase

New research from video game market research firm VGMarket sponsored by Playspan reveals that gamers are actively making purchases to enhance their gaming experience, with free-to-play games leading the way to monetization. Playspan is a provider of monetization and payment solutions for games and virtual worlds.

Three out of four virtual goods buyers purchased in-game currency in the last 12 months and spent approximately $50 each. This statistic is interesting to me as I am always surprised when users buy in to currency that only works on one site. But, I suppose if it's the only option then you will eventually give in.

Of further interest in the report is the fact that free-to-play games may actually be monetizing better than MMOs (massive multiplayer online games) and social networks.

• 58 percent made purchases in free-to-play (F2P) games over the last 12 months.
• 34 percent made purchases in MMOs.
• 23 percent made purchases in social network games.
• The average respondent is currently playing three online games and 80 percent report buying digital goods for their own use while 20 percent said they purchase for gifts.

Virtual goods buyers

(Credit: Playspan)

According to the report, the median average expenditure was highest among free-to-play games ($75), followed by MMOs ($60), and social networks ($50) respectively. Those are very impressive numbers especially considering how nascent the market is. I have to believe that those numbers dwarf any online advertising per-user revenue figures.

Data from the survey is based on 2,425 respondents across 1,000 online games, virtual worlds, and social-network apps of Playspan's Marketplace, Spare Change, and Ultimate Game Card properties.

Follow me on Twitter @daveofdoom.

[Amity08]

This is a very interesting topic and for someone to create a research/article about a so called "taboo" in the gaming industry is very mind opening. I don't find anything wrong if you're going to purchase virtual currency for online games. If you want to have a stronger character equipped with all the powerful gear and mounts but don't have time to grind but you have excess money to buy the currency and you have the resources where you can purchase currency, why not purchase the gold you need? For those gamers who despised co-gamers for purchasing currency, please don't be hypocrites and besides it's not your money after all and no one is forcing you to buy if you don't want to.

[Renegade Knight]

In an othrewise free game if you make it so you HAVE to spend money to compete you will quickly lose the poor and "hypocrites" who make the game worth playing. <br /> <br />Where real money gets you a temporary advantage, that's much better tolerated by your so called hypocrites.