Study: Half of In-App Purchases Come From Only 0.15% of Players 144
An anonymous reader writes "Have you ever seen a goofy microtransaction for a mobile game you play and wondered, 'Does anyone actually buy that junk?' As it turns out, few players actually do. A new study found that only 1.5% of players actually spend money on in-app purchases. Of those who do, more than 50% of the money is spent by the top 10%. 'Some game companies talk openly about the fact that they have whales, but others shy away from discussing them publicly. It costs money to develop and keep a game running, just like those fancy decorations and free drinks at a casino; whales, like gambling addicts, subsidize fun for everyone else.' Eric Johnson at Re/code says he talked to a game company who actually assigned an employee to one particular player who dropped $10,000 every month on in-app purchases."
Meanwhile, in-app purchases have come to the attention of the European Commission, and they'll be discussing a set of standards for consumer rights at upcoming meetings. They say, 'Games advertised as "free" should not mislead consumers about the true costs involved.'
Re:0.15% vs 1.5% (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:0.15% vs 1.5% (Score:5, Insightful)
Were you told there would be no math? RTFS and DTFM.
The worst kind of human beings (Score:3, Insightful)
A person who spend 10,000$ a month on a game has a problem and someone who's trying to exploit someone's problem in order to become rich is nothing but a thief. The man behind that company should be put behind bars.
Re:$10,000?!? (Score:5, Insightful)
Here I am, trying to sell the Golden Gate Bridge on the street and I could be selling it in a game.
I've got to get caught up on synergies of new technology, to coordinate my vision of business core-competencies with the emerging paradigm.
I was thinking the same thing; we should collaborate, make our own game that's nothing but microtransactions...
Re:$10,000?!? (Score:2, Insightful)
I like the two ignorant assumptions in your post.
1.) People who spend lots of money on in-app purchases don't have a family.
2.) To be rewarded in life, you have to have a spouse and join the ranks of the mindless breeders.
Fuck you.
Re:iapcracker (Score:4, Insightful)
I've found many of the new crop of mobile games are more or less set up that unless you're buying the stuff in the game, you'll never get anywhere.
I've seen a few games which let you play once or twice/day unless you buy something. I've seen games where it would take an infinite amount of time to earn the things needed in the game.
I have two tests for a new game I've downloaded:
1) Put the phone into airplane mode and turn off wifi -- if the game complains it can't connect to a server, uninstall it, because it it can't work on a plane I don't care.
2) Check if the game immediately starts suggesting you go to their store in order to be useful -- if it looks like you'll never get anywhere without buying the baubles, uninstall it.
I find many many games seem to be built for the sole purpose of advertising and selling in-game stuff. Which is why I only play games in airplane mode with no connectivity, and something which has caused me to uninstall a lot of them after under 5 minutes.
It is amazing how many apps which should require no internet connectivity insist on it -- and I'm sure that's not about anything other than trying to get them revenue, which I have no intention of providing them with in the first place.
Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:The worst kind of human beings (Score:4, Insightful)
But it's okay if someone spends the same amount of money on a video card, camera lens, monitor or anything else they want to spend the money on, right?
Just because you wouldn't spend that much money on a game doesn't mean others won't. How much money did you spend (if you're old enough to have done so) on video games growing up? I would be willing to bet you easily spent that much enjoying yourself playing games.