When Zynga burst onto the scene it seemed like social gaming was going to revolutionize the industry, fast forward a few years later and Zynga is in decline and competitors such as Playdom and Playfish have also watched users jump ship as their products continue to age out of the market.
In the meantime a new social gaming market is emerging, one that once again removes “casual gamers” from the mix and instead focuses on serious online gamers with a penchant for complex video games that feature every improving gaming experiences and more incentives to continue playing.
So how should social game developers approach social game purchases? According to?Arkadium?they need to follow the 5 W’s of social game purchase. ?
The infographic below shows off some interesting numbers that could help developers find the biggest market share possible. For example most purchasers will only spend between $1 and $5 per product. ?Gamers also like to play a game for at least one week before deciding to purchase it, a fact that could lead to more open gaming over short periods of time in order to grab a users attention.
The infographic also shows that most users will buy virtual currency first and then purchase virtual goods with that currency.
Upon closer examination we can learn about the type of games being played, the age levels of social gamers and?more:
Do the results of the Arkadium social gaming purchase study surprise you?
