2 Cents on MMOs

A new study published recently  show that women outspend men. As reported by gamasutra

In their second annual survey on “Virtual Goods Market Penetration and Growth in North America,” the two firms found that the median of digital goods purchases grew 67 percent from $30 in 2009 to $50 in the current year. More than one-fifth, or 21 percent, of digital goods buyers said they intend to purchase more in the next 12 months, too.

Not only are women a major market in games using virtual goods, the spend on virtual goods has increased.

Research firm Frank N. Magid Associates and in-game commerce platform PlaySpan report that 13 percent of the North American population (12 to 64 years) with internet access purchase digital goods, and that those consumers spent an average of $99 on those items in 2010 — a 14 percent increase over the average of $87 spent in the previous year.

This strikes me as a measurable progress toward a long time goal of the games industry: Make games women are interested in playing (and thus paying for). For decades game developers in NA and EU have struggled to figure out how to engage women. For years, some would say, whole console generations, where interesting to a majority of teenage males. My position has been that for the game industry to survive it not only needs to broaden market appeal to both sexes, but also a much broader age bracket.

So, Is this report a sign of Victory(is this as good as it is going to get)? or a signpost on the road to a bigger and broader market?