It may not surprise you to hear that men are making most of the purchases when it comes to virtual goods. But new research suggests the number one reason gamers buy isn’t to beat the competition, but rather to “personalize and decorate” a virtual environment.
In a survey of 1,576 gamers conducted by Arkadium, 45 percent of those who said they bought a virtual good indicated they were male, while 37 percent said they were female (I guess the other 18 percent didn’t want to talk about it?). And when they were asked why they made their purchases, 51 percent of the responses mentioned personalizing or decorating a virtual environment (think adding some trees to my Farmville farm), while just 44 percent mentioned gaining an edge over competitors.
This is a topic we’ve written about quite a bit as well, including a report on the social network’s first real-money game, and Facebook’s decision to switch from Credits to game-specific virtual currency.
Access the full results of Arkadium’s research in an infographic designed by Francesca Greggs and Lemonwood Design, included below.
