UK video gamers prefer to buy and spend more on a console-based video games than any other kind, new research has found.
An increasing number of consumers are also using alternative payment methods to buy video games, research by WorldPay, a leader in payment, processing, risk and alternative payments, has found.
The whitepaper study of 7,554 gamers worldwide found that 26% of UK consumers had bought a console-based game in the past year, while 24% said they had bought video games through an app store.
However, about 44% of South Korean gamers were said to have bought more gaming apps than the UK, followed by 37% in India and 26% in Russia and the US.
Asked what how they like to buy gaming content, about 83% of UK gamers said they would prefer to buy games at home, whereas 80% of Indian gamers and 55% of gamers worldwide said they would prefer to buy games in the company of others.
The research also revealed that that the highest number of gamers using alternative methods of payment are consumers in the emerging markets, with 79 percent of consumers in China and 71 percent in Russia making payments with tools like e-wallets.
Colin Murray, VP of Video Games at WorldPay, said: "UK consumers also prefer purchasing via debit cards but we can expect to see the use of e-wallets rising for in-game purchases, as payment details are already saved, minimising the disruption to the game experience.
"Merchants therefore have an opportunity to cater to these regional trends and respond by minimising consumers’ frustrations."
He added: "The fact that the most popular video game purchase by UK consumers is console-based games is largely down to the early adoption of console devices."
