Barclays Bank shared statistics of transactions related to games. So, in 2021, the expenses of Britons aged 25 to 60 increased by 50-59%, and the size of the average in-game transaction was £15.
The study examines expenditure figures for 2021, compared with 2019. Purchases were taken into account both in retail stores and on online platforms (except Google Play, App Store and PS Store).
What has changed during the specified period:
- spending on games for the female audience increased by 51%, while for male players – by 43%;
- spending by people aged 50 to 64 increased by 59% compared to 2019. However, they are responsible for just 12.2% of the UK gaming box office in 2021;
- the cost of games for people over 65 has increased by 49%. However, there are fewer players in this age group;
- most purchases were made by the audience from 35 to 49 years old, which accounts for 35.1% of total expenses. Compared to 2019, their spending increased by 51%;
- people aged 25 to 34 years slightly lagged behind them – 28.7% of total expenses. In 2021, their spending on games increased by 54%;
- the researchers consider gamers from 16 to 24 years old to be the most active group – they were 2.5 times more likely than others to shop in games. At the same time, their expenses increased by only 27% compared to 2019
Barclays also revealed the average size of an in–game transaction in 2021 – £15.11 ($19.17). The bank noted that this amount is significantly lower than the prices for PC or console games.
The most common gaming transaction was from £6 to £7 (approximately $7-8) – this is the monthly cost of online subscription services PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold.
Transfers in the size of £3-£4 (approximately $4-5) are also popular, which corresponds to the cost of most microtransactions in games.