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It's no secret that MMOs have started to see a larger and larger share of the market, but the actual amount is always a difficult number to pin down. Gamasutra recently reported on a study by TNS and Gamesindustry.com, a pair of market research firms, which found that about 20% of all US game spending goes to either MMOs or online game portals. That's a fifth of all spending in the country, and with the amount of overall spending in the US that's a rather significant figure.

Of course, MMOs are still small fry compared to, say, the console budget, which dominates at nearly three-fifths of the overall spending. However, it's worth considering that MMO spending is frequently going to be a $15 monthly subscription rather than a $50 one-time purchase -- a significant disparity in terms of overall budget. It's also interesting to note that MMOs, once a small subset of the overall PC gaming market, are gaining ground as a market demographic unto themselves. The full report can be found here, with further information on the methodology of the study and the preferred payment methods of the respondents.

MassivelyOne-fifth of US game spending goes to MMOs and game portals originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>business-modelsgame-portalsgamesindustry.comgaming-budgetmmo-budgetmmo-industrynews-itemsreal-world-eventsspendingstudiesstudytnsWed, 02 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Market research company explores MMO gaming]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/20/market-research-company-explores-mmo-gaming/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/20/market-research-company-explores-mmo-gaming/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/20/market-research-company-explores-mmo-gaming/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Worlds in Motion reports that a recent poll from market research specialists TNS and Gamesindustry.com talked to over 13,000 gamers in North America and Europe about their favorite subject: gaming, what kind they do, and how much time they spend on it.

The survey addressed players as young as 8, and found that the largest group of players in the U.S. is comprised of 8-12 year olds. That may come as a surprise to many players whose idea of a console or PC game isn't really geared toward children, but makes sense when you consider games and virtual worlds such as Virtual Family Kingdom, Free Realms, and any console game with Mario in the title.

Delving further into the MMO side turned up some interesting information. Of the US players surveyed, 21% said that they play MMOs, and 45% of those players define themselves as paying customers -- presumably that includes both subscription models and gamers that take advantage of cash shops. In spite of the large percentage of paying players, a free-to-play model is one of the biggest factors for those considering a new game. The rising success of many games in the past year that use a free-to-play model seems to support this.

Worlds In Motion offers further number crunching, and if you're interested in seeing the full survey report, gamesindustry.com offers it for a fee.

MassivelyMarket research company explores MMO gaming originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>free-realmsgamesindustry.compollssurveyvirtual-family-kingdomworlds-in-motionFri, 20 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST