In-Game Purchases

What Does In-Game Purchases Mean?

In-game purchases refer to items or points that a player can buy for use within a virtual world to improve a character or enhance the playing experience. The virtual goods that the player receives in exchange for real-world money are non-physical and are generally created by the game’s producers. In-game purchases are the primary means by which free-to-play games produce revenue for their makers.

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Techopedia Explains In-Game Purchases

Revenue from in-game purchases provides incentive for developers to update a game frequently, expanding play options as well as the products available. This develop-as-you-go approach contrasts with original online games such as massively multiplayer online role-playing games, where a complete virtual world was created by a team and then launched, and players pay a subscription or upfront fee for the client software. An increasing number of online games have been adding in-game purchases because virtual goods from such games are already being sold in a black market that occurs over auction sites. This black market exchange of virtual goods has alerted developers to the considerable demand for such products.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…