Survey finds 30 percent of gamers have purchased virtual goods

The willingness to lash out on DLC and other virtual goods has reached about one third market penetration according to a recent study.

The study, as reported by Develop, was conducted by PlaySpan and VG Market and surveyed 1,000 gamers. No mention was made of how this sample was selected, but of those surveyed who played freemium titles, 30 percent had lashed out actual cash on in-game purchases.

It looks like console networks still lead the way, with 51 percent of all virtual goods purchases tied to online console games.

Social sites lagged behind at 30 percent and MMO's, surprisingly, even further behind with 28 percent.

Almost half of the players quizzed by the study reported making purchases in the last year, with 45 percent saying they made purchases once a month. An eye-opening 72 percent said they expected to maintain their virtual good spend for the next year, suggesting most are not tied to a single title.

Of those who made virtual item purchases, 47 percent bought maps or levels, and 29 percent picked up equipment.

The usual gender split reared its head, with 37 percent of female respondents indicating willingness to purchases cosmetic virtual goods like premium avatars or decorations, but just 19 per cent of men.