The Paying Customer – Motivational and Demographic Attributes of Freemium Game Players

Author(s)
Sandra Boric, Flora Pöcze, Christine Strauss, Henry Webler
Abstract

Since only a small percentage of freemium game players contributes the most to revenue and microtransaction volumes of freemium games, the question arises what attributes distinguish this particular subgroup of players. This paper characterizes that group by means of motivational and demographic attributes resulting from an analysis of scientific literature findings. They suggest that rather than the in-game experience (e.g., the feeling of being rewarded and ability to freely play/access flexibility), found common motivational attributes involve environmental (e.g., brand loyalty, socialization, competitiveness) and visual aspects. Regarding demographics, a more differentiated picture is suggested, as the freemium model can be applied to all game genres and the demographic distribution depends on the game genre. An integration of theory from Intercultural Management may support a to-the-point customer profiling of spending gamers and - as a consequence - improve marketing strategies and foster market positions.

Organisation(s)
Department of Marketing and International Business
External organisation(s)
Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz
Pages
53
No. of pages
1
Publication date
12-2021
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
502007 E-commerce, 502019 Marketing, 509014 Game research
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/the-paying-customer--motivational-and-demographic-attributes-of-freemium-game-players(6a3cb2fa-306a-45ca-a0d0-7ff440b176b2).html