An increase in the number of people playing free games is providing the gaming industry with an additional source of revenue as gamers shell out millions for virtual goods and add-ons.
Free games, once the bane of the gaming industry, are now proving lucrative for game developers who entice people to pay for virtual costumes or tools which enhance game experience.
According to a survey published by German tech industry association Bitkom earlier this month, 45 per cent of German gamers opt for free-to-play versions only.
Matthias Hellmund, head of mobile development at German game developer Exozet said the target group for $70 console games was gradually shrinking as gamers get used to games on Apple's iPad which are free or cost 99 cents.
'But people don't necessarily spend less, because fans might be willing to invest even hundreds of pounds for a game experience they really like — so some spend more money than they would on a premium-priced game,' he told Reuters at Gamescom, Europe's largest video games trade fair.
Bitkom found that 43 per cent of German gamers splash out on games which require them to pay before they play, spending an average of 15 euros a month.
But some gamers who use free-to-play games spend much more than that on a single micro transaction — up to 1,500 euros ($2,113) for a rare sword or special armour in some cases — Christian Funk, a virus analyst at Russian computer security company Kapersky Lab, told Reuters.
Funk monitored Ebay — one of the most important sales channels for virtual goods — in June found more than 3,641 virtual items for use in Activision Blizzard's 'World of Warcraft' game were sold at an average price of 132.33 euros ($186.4) during a 14-day period.
Based on these figures, Funk estimates that gamers spend around 11.5 million euros on virtual goods for that one game per year, giving a glimpse of what kind of sums the micro transaction industry was handling, he said.
'The value is in the rarity - gamers are prepared to pay real money for virtual goods,' he said, adding some virtual items were status symbols for players.
'Just as in the real world people are willing to spend lots of money on nice glasses, watches or sports cars, this is just a hobby,' he said.
Source : New Age
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