- caption
- The survey showed that 15% of teens said that they outright didn’t play video games before “Fortnite” exploded in popularity.
- source
- “Fortnite”/Epic Games
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In 2019, teens are spending more money than ever on
video games. -
Only food and clothing rank higher on expenditures by
teens, according to a survey of teens from Piper Jaffray
released on Monday. -
Despite “Fortnite” being a free option, the
game may actually be expanding the market for video
games. -
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Teens are spending more than ever on video games, and the massive
popularity of free games like “Fortnite” could actually be
expanding the gaming market.
That’s according to a bi-annual report
released on Monday from Piper Jaffray that surveyed thousands
of teens about their spending habits.
On average, the male teens surveyed said they’re dedicating about
14% of their income to video games in one form or another –
whether that’s game purchases, in-game purchases, or console
purchases. Only two categories exceeded video games for male teen
spending: food and clothing.
- source
- AP Photo/Nati Harnik
Part of that spending is certainly going towards “Fortnite,” the
free-to-play Battle Royale shooter that’s dominated the video
game market for the last 1.5 years.
Though the game is free, players are able to purchase virtual
currency – “V-bucks” – that can be used within the game for
virtual items. That same currency is used to buy the seasonal
Battle Pass, or any of the in-game cosmetic items for your
avatar.
The worry with free-to-play games like “Fortnite” is that they’ll
eat revenue from more traditional game publishers like EA and
Activision, but the Piper Jaffray report refutes that assumption.
“While ‘Fortnite’ may be taking some share from certain other
video games from other publishers, it may also be expanding the
market,” the report says. “For example, 13% of teens said they
will ‘buy more other games’
now that they play ‘Fortnite,’ up from 7% in the fall.”
Additionally, 15% of surveyed teens said that they outright
didn’t play video games before “Fortnite” exploded in popularity
– so if even a fraction of that percentage ever buys another
game, then “Fortnite” has served to expand the gaming market.
