2. PlaySpan Digital
Goods Spending
Contents Report
July, 2010
• Executive Summary/Demographics
• Spending Habits
• Video Game Preferences
3. PlaySpan Digital
Goods Spending
Methodology Report
July, 2010
Overview
• This report highlights detailed responses to the PlaySpan/VGMarket Digital
Goods Spending Report.
• Survey was distributed by email and web links to a sample of 2,221
PlaySpan Marketplace, Facebook via Spare Change, and Ultimate Game
Card gamers.
• Responses were collected from June 3 – June 30, 2010.
Objectives
Obtain insight on:
• Digital goods buying from 1st party publishers.
• Digital goods buying from 3rd party marketplaces.
4. PlaySpan Digital
Goods Spending
Key Takeaways Report
July, 2010
• The PlaySpan/VGMarket Digital Goods Spending Report demonstrates the
tremendous monetization opportunities available to both first-party publishers and
third-party marketplaces through the sale of digital goods. Each type of digital good
has a unique level of demand, and the amount of money that a consumer spends on
digital goods varies by genre.
• Publishers and marketplaces can use this insight to forecast revenue, make the right
development investments, and effectively allocate marketing dollars. The result is
higher profitability through optimization of an existing digital goods revenue stream
and the development of new, effective digital content.
• Respondents spent more money on digital goods in Social Networking games than in
any other genre over the last 12 months.
• Although males are playing significantly more games and are the primary drivers of
total digital goods sales, the data shows that North American women 25 and older
are spending disproportionately large sums of money on digital goods.
6. PlaySpan Digital
Goods Spending
Executive Summary Report
July, 2010
• North American women over the age of 25 are spending the most money on Digital Goods.
• Respondents spent more money on Digital Goods in Social Networking games than in any
other genre over the last 12 months.
• In-game Currency, Virtual Gifts, and Wearables were the most popular types of Digital
Goods purchased over the last 12 months.
• Respondents are actively purchasing Digital Goods from both 1st party and 3rd party sources.
• PayPal (43%) is the preferred method of payment for Digital Goods.
• The average respondent in this study is a 23.5 year old male (78% of total sample) with an
average annual household income of approximately $46,000.
7. First party sources are the primary PlaySpan Digital
Goods Spending
medium for purchasing digital Report
content. July, 2010
Median Spent on Digital Goods By Genre
Genre From 1st Party Sites From 3rd Party Sites
Social Networking $50 $30
MMOs $40 $35
Casual Games $40 $30
Free to Play Games $40 $25
PC Games with Online Play $37 $10
Console Games with Online Play $20 $20
8. First party sources are the primary PlaySpan Digital
Goods Spending
medium for purchasing digital Report
content. July, 2010
Median Spent on Digital Goods By Content Type
Content Type From 1st Party Sites From 3rd Party Sites
In-Game Currency (gold, coins, credits,
$31 $20
etc.)
Virtual Gifts (Flowers, rings, holiday
$30 $20
items)
Wearables $28 $20
Power Ups $20 $15
Subscription Codes $20 $15
Maps/levels $20 $11
Weapons $20 $15
9. Respondents prefer to spend their PlaySpan Digital
Goods Spending
money on In-Game Currency and Report
July, 2010
Weapons
In-Game Currency (gold, coins, credits, etc.)
Weapons
Power Ups
Wearables
Virtual Gifts (Flowers, rings, holiday items)
Subscription Codes
Maps/Levels
Other
10. Respondents who purchase virtual content PlaySpan Digital
Goods Spending
prefer to buy for Free to Play Games, Survey Report
July, 2010
MMOs, and Social Networking Games
Free to Play Games
MMOs
Social Networking Games
PC Games with Online Play
Casual Games
Console games with online play
None of the Above
11. PlaySpan Digital
Goods Spending
Demographics (1/2) Report
July, 2010
Demographics
• 2,221 total respondents between the ages of 13 and 64
• 78% male
• Average respondent age: 23.5
• Average household income: $45,923
12. PlaySpan Digital
Goods Spending
Demographics (2/2) Report
July, 2010
Notable Differences among Demographic groups:
Age 13-17 18-24 25+
Median Spent on 1st-party Purchases in Social Networking Games $20 $40 $50
Median Spent on 1st-party Purchases of In-game Currency $20 $23 $50
Median Spent on 3rd-party Purchases of Power Ups $10 $15 $20
Median Expenditure Overall $50 $63 $100
Gender Male Female
Median Spent on 1st-party purchases in Social Networking Games $30 $55
Median Spent on 1st-party Purchases of In-game Currency $25 $50
Median Expenditure Overall $60 $80
Country US Canada Philippines
Median Expenditure Overall $78 $75 $40
14. PlaySpan Digital
About half plan to maintain spending Goods Spending
Report
on digital goods in the next year July, 2010
Do you plan to spend more, less, or the same amount on
digital goods in the next 12 months?
30% More
49% Less
About the Same
21%
15. Respondents expecting to spend PlaySpan Digital
Goods Spending
more cite “playing more online Report
July, 2010
games” as the reason
I am playing more online games
than before
They give greater in-game rewards
than they did before
They are easier to purchase than
they were
They are cheaper than they were
I have more money to spend now
16. Respondents expecting to spend less PlaySpan Digital
Goods Spending
cite “having less cash” and “increased Report
July, 2010
expense of gaming”
I have less money to spend now
They are more expensive than they
were
I am playing fewer online games
than I did before
They are more difficult to purchase
than they were
They give lesser in-game rewards
than they did before
17. Respondents who have not purchased PlaySpan Digital
Goods Spending
in the past chose “it is not worth the Report
July, 2010
money” as the most common reason
I do not believe it is worth the money
I have no interest in purchasing virtual items or
content
I'm afraid that the player/site would take my money
and not deliver the item
I would if I knew how/where to buy
Buying items is cheating
I didn’t know this was possible
It’s against the Terms of Service of the game
Other
None of the above
18. Respondents indicate a preference PlaySpan Digital
Goods Spending
towards buying content directly from Report
July, 2010
the company who makes the game
Who Do You Buy From?
Third-party websites and other
players
30% 29%
Directly from the company that
makes the game
41%
Both
19. PayPal, Credit Cards, and Ultimate Game PlaySpan Digital
Goods Spending
Cards are the preferred methods of Report
July, 2010
payment for digital goods
What method of payment do you use?
PayPal 43%
Credit Card 32%
Ultimate Game Card 30%
Cash/Money Order/Check 20%
Mobile phone payment 17%
PayByCash 13%
By completing surveys and offers 13%
Spare Change 12%
Game specific surveys and offers 9%
Facebook Credits 7%
Click N Buy 4%
Social Gold 2%
Other 8%
None of the above 2%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
20. The majority of respondents purchase PlaySpan Digital
Goods Spending
digital goods a few times a month or Report
July, 2010
less
Every day
A few times a week
Once a week
A few times a month
Once a month
Once every couple of months
Once a year or less
21. PlaySpan Digital
Respondents prefer purchasing content Goods Spending
Report
to use in the game for themselves July, 2010
What are your reasons for purchasing virtual items or content?
To use in the game myself 68%
To get unique items I can only get through purchase 44%
To advance further in the game 44%
To get items that otherwise I wouldn’t have time to earn 23%
To give as a gift to someone else 22%
To decorate my page, persona, and/or avatar 19%
To resell to other players 10%
Other 2%
None of the above 2%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
23. PlaySpan Digital
Goods Spending
Online Gameplay Report
July, 2010
How many PC or Console video games have your How many hours do you spend playing games
purchased in the last 12 months? online in an average week?
Free to Play Games 53% 0 1%
Social Networking Games 53% 1-2 6%
PC Games with Online Play 41% 3-5 12%
MMOs 41% 6-10 16%
Casual Games 29% 11-20 17%
Console Games with online play 26% 21-30 15%
31-40 11%
How many different online games do you currently 41-50 6%
play?
50 or more 16%
1 17%
Average Time 23.7
2 22%
3 22%
4 9%
5 or more 30%
24. PlaySpan Digital
Goods Spending
General Gameplay Report
July, 2010
How many PC or Console video games have How many Free to Play games have you
your purchased in the last 12 months? played in the last 12 months?
0 14% 0 3%
1-2 31% 1-2 25%
3-5 23% 3-5 27%
6-10 15% 6-10 18%
11-20 9% 11-20 11%
21-30 4% 21-30 5%
31-40 1% 31-40 2%
41-50 1% 41-50 2%
50 or more 2% 50 or more 6%
Average Games 7.5 Average Games 11.2
25. PlaySpan Digital
Goods Spending
General Gameplay Report
July, 2010
How many Social Network games have you How many iPhone/iPod Touch games have you
played in the last 12 months? downloaded or purchased in the last 12 months?
0 14% 0 11%
1-2 29% 1-2 14%
3-5 23% 3-5 17%
6-10 14% 6-10 14%
11-20 8% 11-20 14%
21-30 4% 21-30 10%
31-40 2% 31-40 6%
41-50 1% 41-50 3%
50 or more 4% 50 or more 13%
Average Games 8.4 Average Games 17.0
