PlaySpan survey finds women buy more virtual goods

Research and consultancy firm, Frank N. Magid Associates, and PlaySpan today announced a new study that evaluates attitudes and behaviors of consumers on virtual goods spending. According to the study, 12 percent of the overall population surveyed reported that they had bought virtual goods in the last 12 months.

However, a closer look at the habits of virtual goods buyers reveals that virtual world visitors are the heaviest virtual goods buyers, with 46 percent of these consumers buying virtual goods (from virtual worlds, games or social networks) and nearly one third of iPhone owners buying from the same platforms.

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Dean Takahashi to Keynote LOGIN Conference

VentureBeat lead writer Dean Takahashi will deliver the keynote address at the LOGIN Conference Tuesday, May 12th. The 2009 LOGIN Conference is an annual designed to facilitate education and networking in an upscale and relaxing setting for business and development leaders involved with the online game industry The event will be held May 11 - 14 2009 in Seattle, Washington at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront Hotel.

Takahashi’s keynote address, “What’s a Wave and What’s a Puddle?”, tries to answer the tricky question of deciding what’s trends are worth getting involved with and what are a waste of time for start-up companies. You don’t want to get to the wave too early, and you don’t want to show up too late.

According to VentureBeat’s calculations, investors dumped $935 million into 111 game and virtual world companies in 2008. But many are wondering if the bubble has fully expanded. Will the weaker sales numbers from the month of March for console games signal a slowdown in everything related to games and game investment? Takahashi attempts to untangle the matter in his address.

Takahashi joins over a hundred industry luminaries speaking at LOGIN discussing a range of business, community, design, globalization, legal and programming and technology topics in dozens of lectures, debates, panels and roundtables. For the complete agenda, check out LOGIN’s complete schedule.