Who is spending more on Facebook Social Games?

I wrote about the growing opportunities in mobile social games, especially in Asia recently in my post "3 things you may not know about mobile social games".  Now it appears that social games in PC and in mobile from the juggernaut of Social Networks, Facebook, will be gathering its much anticipated momentum with its recent announcement.


In recent days this week, news of Facebook's collaboration with Bango (Bango integrates to operators' billing systems) has broken out. It's probably about time - given:

1. more than 800m Facebook members
2. more than 425m who are accessing Facebook mobile
3. about 30% Facebook members play the social games in Facebook (below pic from Smurfs' Village Facebook page)
4. huge opportunities awaiting further explosive growth from the emerging markets, e.g. in South East Asia where Social Networks like Facebook are accessed largely via mobile devices.

When one reads more into the consumption habits of Facebook social gamers, would you ever guess?

"while younger people are the ones spending more time on games, they are not the group with the highest propensity to purchase virtual goods. Just 10 per cent of 18-25 year olds bought virtual goods, compared to 70 per cent of those aged 45+"

The above was supported by an article in the 29th February 2012 edition of Singapore's Straits Times Digital Life section "Paying for 'free' Facebook games" where the writer, Oo Gin Lee, was scratching his head why his 48 year old sister is playing the Smurf's Village game, got hooked and started buying the smurfberries! She even invited him to join her game so that he could help water her crops!

What has your experience been like with the people around you who are playing social games?


Look forward to connect with you, 
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