Report finds 77% of players like microtransactions

Microtransactions have always been one of the most controversial issues in gaming, dividing those who play games firmly into the for and against camps. A recent new study from the NPD group has revealed how people really feel about them.

The study, entitled "DLC and Microtransaction Purchasing" found that, amongst the 8,893 people that responded to the online survey conducted between August 19 and September 2, 78 percent of respondents said they’d consider spending money on microtransactions to get power-ups, weapons and other boosts. 77% said that they like the way microtransactions can heighten their enjoyment of a game.

The study also found that males and teens were the primary group involved in these purchases, and that people were more likely to spend money on a microtransaction than downloadable content.

Not everyone is on team microtransaction however, close to half of those who haven’t purchased microtransactions before said that they would not be willing to spend any money on them, and 16 per cent of the survey respondents said that the content should just be included in with the price of the game.Also, 68 per cent believe that the pay-to-win aspect of microtransactions within gaming is a negative, too.

"Spending on microtransactions and DLC is currently healthy, but game publishers and developers must not lose sight of the importance of looking at areas that will stimulate spending growth without compromising real and perceived value of the content they’re providing," NPD Group analyst Sam Naji said in a canned statement.

If there’s one takeaway from the survey, it’s that a lot of people are willing to pay for microtransactions, as long as it doesn’t give anyone an unfair adventage.