A recent study by mobile gaming community MocoSpace is challenging the idea that impressionable young children are the ones spending all their parents money on virtual goods. According to the report, gamers between the ages of 25 and 35 spent the most time playing games, while gamers over 45 are the ones who spend the most on virtual goods.
Gamers over 35 were responsible for 42 percent of all virtual goods purchases, but only made up 18 percent of those surveyed. 18 to 25 year olds made up 43 percent, but were only responsible for 18 percent of all purchases. In fact, the study found a direct correlation between age and the amount of money spent on virtual goods, with more purchases as the age demographic rose.
The full breakdown by demographic is:
18-25: 10% of all gamers bought virtual goods
25-35: 22% of all gamers bought virtual goods
35-45: 50% of all gamers bought virtual goods
45+: 70% of all gamers bought virtual goods
The study was conducted over a three-month period, with 500,000 respondents from MocoSpace's 22 million strong network.
“We’re seeing parents go from spending money on buying games for their kids, to spending money on virtual goods in games for themselves. The time-versus-money balance seems to come into play here, where young people have more time than money, and the reverse holds true as we all grow up,” said MocoSpace CEO Justin Siegel.
So developers, anyone looking to make a free-to-play title for old people?
