Digital Goods Purchase On The Rise

Study: Average Digital Goods Buyers Spending 14 Percent More In 2010

Article: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/28747/Study_Average_Digital_Goods_Buyers_Spending_14_Percent_More_In_2010.php

In this article, a study done by two digital commerce analysis companies reports that the amount of digital goods has increased in 2010. Digital goods refers mostly to non-materialistic items such as in-game items for online games (e.g. WoW, MapleStory), avatars and mini-games for console marketplaces (e.g. PSN), and/or apps and etc from smartphone marketplaces (e.g. iPhone store, Andriod marketplace). With the increase of digital goods persisting through 2010, and showing no signs of slowing down, this goes to show that the marketplace for phone apps, games, and other non-materialistic achievements prove to be extremely popular.

As a digital market gains more and more popularity, will the materialistic economy be faced with a new competition for the public's money? Do you save up your money and buy that new mount in your MMORPG or waste it on an extra pair of shoes you might only wear once? Do you invest indulge yourself in the new iPhone game Fruit Ninja or treat yourself to an ice cream cone? I wonder if these questions will ever cross people's minds in the future, when the digital community and its plethora of digital goods starts to become much more appealing than their physical counterparts.

-Andrew Dai (#54176769)