Girl eating laptop

Gaming studio Arkadium has released its latest research findings regarding the behavior of social game purchases on Facebook. Its latest infographic rounds up all of the data and details the who, what, when, where, and why as it relates to players spending money on microtransactions.

“[Our] research uncovered some interesting data,” an Arkadium representative wrote in an email to GamesBeat, “that provides an insightful look at the items Facebook gamers are likely to purchase, the genre of games that are most likely to monetize, and a greater understanding of the profile of the monetizing social gamer.”

Highlights of the research include:

  • 44% purchase to gain an edge
  • 46% of purchasers buy game upgrades
  • 51% purchase to decorate and personalize
  • 79% spend in two or fewer games per month
  • 69% are purchasing in simulation or building games
  • 52% typically stay in the $0-$5 range for in-game purchases
  • 67% of buyers wait more than a week before they are convinced to purchase in a Facebook game
  • 49% of buyers report they are still playing all of the games in which they have purchased after six months

Here is Arkadium’s infographic (click for a full-size image):

The 5 Ws of Social Game Purchases

Arkadium has an in-depth slideshow further breaking down the meaning of these stats, as well as a similar presentation for the company’s previous findings on the matter.