Throughout the last two years the revenues from in-game transactions in video-games have increased due to its growing presence both in traditional retail games as well as digital due to the fact that more and more games have become free. This growing presence is the basis for answering the question of what motivates players to spend money on in-game purchases in freeto-play games. The research found that having a well designed game is a very important factor that makes players purchase content. Many respondents made purchases based on emotional reasons such as wanting to look cool. People also made purchases to avoid grinding and to gain competitive advantages. In summary people think that their purchases were justifiable since the games are free but the common consensus is that while cosmetic items are acceptable, pay-towin items which provide a competitive advantage are not.

Currently, there are a lot different online games. From the perspective of the players – games were created for entertainment, but in terms of game developers – games were created for getting profit. The aim of this study is to identify factors which cause players to make in-game purchases of “nonprofit” goods in online games. It is important for game developers, since it will help them to increase their profit by providing to the customers (players) exactly what players want. For this study qualitative research design will be used since this method will help to hear opinions of players. Outcomes will be useful for game developers and help them to understand what is good and what is not good in their in-game markets.

I dagens spelindustri är det allt vanligare att spel innehåller affärsmodeller som innefattar mikrotransaktioner, det vill säga köp inom spelet. Framfarten av mikrotransaktioner har skapat många skilda åsikter. Denna studie är gjord för att skapa en inblick till hur spelare uppfattar och förhåller sig till fenomenet och dessutom fördjupa förståelsen av vad spelutvecklingsföretagen gör för att få sina spelare att genomföra köp inom sina spel. För att belysa problemet formades forskningsfrågan som följande: Hur förhåller sig spelare till mikrotransaktioner och på vilka sätt påverkar spelutvecklare spelare att genomföra köp genom mikrotransaktioner? Studien utfördes med en enkät som bestod av frågor utifrån en mixad metodansats. Frågornas karaktär formades med inslag av både kvantitativa och kvalitativa ansatser. 117 respondenter svarade på enkäten varpå enkätsvaren sedan analyserades och resultatet visar på att det finns både positiva och negativa åsikter om mikrotransaktioner och att det finns flera olika angreppssätt som spelutvecklarna använder sig av för att få sina spelare att genomföra köp. Utifrån tidigare forskning påvisar denna studie att synsättet på mikrotransaktioner förändrats positivt. Framför allt för att spelutvecklingsföretagen på senare tid fokuserat på att lyssna på sina spelare och genom det utvecklat mikrotransaktioner utifrån spelarnas behov men man måste också ta i beaktande att en positivare syn på mikrotransaktioner eventuellt kan leda till olika grader av beroende. Resultaten i denna studie kan påverka läsarens syn på fenomenet. Studien lyfter en ny syn på hur spelare förhåller sig till fenomenet som både motsäger och stärker tidigare forskning, vilket eventuellt kan gynna spelutvecklingsföretagen samt vidare forskning inom ämnet. / In today’s gaming industry it’s increasingly common to use business models that include microtransactions, in short in-game purchases. The recent rise of microtransactions has created many different opinions. This thesis was conducted to provide an insight of how the players perceive and relate to the phenomenon and further deepen the understanding of what game development companies do to get their players to make in-game purchases. To highlight the problem, the research question was formed as follows: How do players relate to microtransactions and how do game developers affect players to make purchases through microtransactions? The study was conducted with a questionnaire consisting of questions based on a mixed method. The nature of the questions was shaped with elements of both quantitative and qualitative approaches. 117 players responded on the questionnaire, which was analyzed and the result shows both positive and negative opinions about microtransactions and there were several different approaches that the game development companies use to convince their players to perform in-game purchases. Based on previous research, this study shows that the view on micro-transactions has changed to the positive. In particular, game development companies have recently focused on listening to their players leading to developed microtransactions based on player's needs but it need to be considered that a more positive view of microtransactions may potentially affect different degrees of addiction. The results in this study may affect the reader’s view of the phenomenon. The study highlights a new view of how players relate to the phenomenon that both contradicts and strengthens previous research, which may benefit game development companies as well as further research on the subject.

Video games have become a great source of entertainment and emerged as a massive industry in the past few decades. Technological advancements and evolution of smartphones have made it easier for developers to develop and launch their games on different platforms mostly in digital form. Where the technology has facilitated game developers, it has also made this industry very competitive. Companies/developers need to consistently review their monetization strategies and make necessary changes to them in order to stay profitable. This study evaluates the monetization approaches of a case game by conducting a public survey. By analyzing the responses received from users from different regions of the world, this study found out how users from different regions have different attitudes towards gaming and how these can affect monetization approaches. Users from different regions spend time on gaming differently and their total number of gaming hours also vary. The findings from the thesis show that the specific hours might be a potential for gaming companies monetization investigation. In-game advertisements is one of the most popular monetization approaches and majority of the users from all age groups, regions, genders, and professions have no issues watching ads to receive some in-game benefits. Similarly, in-app purchase model of the case game proved to be very popular among its users. Subscriptions model, on the other hand, may prove to be another popular model for generating revenue, however, the company needs to address some issues to make users continue with their subscriptions. This study points out some reasons why users stop spending money on the case game. The study identifies some mitigation points as potential aspects that might have impact on monetization.