Study suggests one in three gamers has purchased virtual goods originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Worlds in Motion

Study claims that women spend double what men do on virtual goods originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Runes of Magic and Playspan team up for game cards originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

One of the interesting things we at Massively find about statistics and surveys is how people react to surveys and research results about games, virtual environments and MMOGs. Unexpected results automatically attract criticism of every aspect of the report and data no matter how the results were obtained, from the political leanings of the researchers, to the way the charts are drawn. On the other hand, when the results of surveys or research agree with our expectations, people rarely question the results, again, no matter how they were obtained.

Therefore, we wonder what you all might make of this report, that 12% of Americans have purchased at least one virtual item in the last item within the last 12 months, and almost half (46%) of MMO gamers/virtual world users have done so within the same period. Obviously, that would include assorted free-to-play games, so-called 'freemium' games and environments, Facebook and all-sorts.

The survey was commissioned by global payment solutions provider, PlaySpan. The results are only available in summary, but we're interested in your reaction. Are the results what you expect, or not? And either way, do you dispute or accept the data?

[via GigaOm]

Survey says: Nearly half of MMO gamers bought virtual stuff originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Majority of buyers use game "gift cards" for themselves originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

PayByCash have been more and more in the news lately, especially with their recent acquisition by Arjun Metha's Playspan in-game commerce network. Despite being only in sixth grade last year (no, you read that correctly), Metha's Playspan business pulled in over six million in series-A funding last September. The acquisition of PayByCash seems to close the circle nicely on their revenue streams, as PayByCash acts as a payments broker for those without credit cards, currently servicing more than 150 games.

Now those payments are going to be even easier, as PayByCash's Ultimate Game Card pre-paid cards are launching in 7-Eleven stores throughout the USA. Want to burn some time in Age of Conan's hyborean lands or delve D&D Online: Stormreach's dungeons, but don't have the credit-card to support your epic adventures? Want to give your favorite MMO gamer a gift? It looks like these colorful cards are the loot you've been looking for.

One of the biggest advantages of game cards like this is that they let you pay for your MMO when you've got the cash, rather than being enslaved to the MMO operator's billing cycle. Buy them when you've got the cash free (and hey, it's a 7-Eleven! Grab some Cheetos and soda!) and redeem them when and where you need to.

No word yet on whether PayByCash can do the deals to get these into stores elsewhere in the world, but if they can swing it, it will be a big deal for gamers everywhere -- especially in many countries where credit cards are quite rare.

The ultimate game card covers every game you play originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.