Sales of virtual goods in the U.S. hit $2.3 billion last year.
According to Frank N. Magid Associates and PlaySpan, this marks a 28 percent increase over 2010.
The firms report that fans of games such as Zynga’s “FarmVille” spent an average of $64 on virtual goods last year.
Nearly half of gamers who purchased virtual items conducted transactions through games played on consoles, while 42 percent made purchases within game apps and 40 percent used prepaid cards obtained at retail outlets.
“Among other findings, only 26 percent have bought virtual goods as gifts, suggesting a bigger opportunity in that area,” suggests MediaPost. “Key factors affecting purchases included price, the genre of the game, friends’ recommendations, user reviews and if a game can be played with friends.”
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