14 DAY TRIAL // A report from the NPD Group has shown that 40 percent of those gamers who have engaged with a free-to-play title have ended up making at least one in-game payment in order to enhance their experience or to extend their playtime.
The Freemium Games Market report has surveyed more than 6,000 individuals, including both youngsters and adults, and has seen an overall increase in the number of players who are willing to spend real-world money on their virtual experiences.
The report says that girls and women are more likely to play freemium games, yet they are less likely to actually pay for them, mostly because they lack the habit of paying for their experiences that male gamers have long had.
The NPD Group says that about 38 percent of the population of the United States is playing some sort of free-to-play video game and the majority of those who end up paying for their game do so during the first month of their experience.
15 percent of those who know about freemium games choose not to play them, and males aged between 13 and 34 are the most likely to abandon such a title after trying it out.
Anita Frazier, an analyst working at the NPD Group, has said that developers need to find ways to get players to part with their money quickly in order to both enhance the experience they get and to guarantee a longer engagement with their product.
She added that hardcore gamers need a very different type of freemium game, one which offers mechanics that do not resemble those of AAA titles and can be played quickly to completion.
In the report the analyst stated, “At a minimum, for these gamers a freemium game would provide a different experience, like a snack versus a full meal.”