A survey has found that roughly one in every 10 gamers in Japan have faced financial hardship as a direct result of their in-game purchasing habits.
In the modern gaming landscape, microtransactions are everywhere. Free-to-play and gacha-style games certainly take up the lion’s share of the conversation, but even single-player titles can have purchasable boosts to increase the “fun.”
The strategy is evidently paying off, too, as one study found over half of all the kids in America wanted a video game product for Christmas last year, with the majority hoping for virtual currencies.
Anywhere you look, it’s easy to see how players are tempted to open their wallets. Sometimes, this can have delirious effects. As an annual study conducted in Japan has found, in-game purchases have led to tangible struggles for a considerable number of gamers.
Survey finds 10.5% of Japanese gamers spend too much on in-game purchases
The annual survey in question comes from Japanese finance company SMBC, as translated by Automaton. The survey intends to research spending habits of young adults, questioning a sample of 1,000 Japanese men and women aged between 20-29.
Of those surveyed, 18.8% confirmed they had made in-game purchases in 2025 and regretted doing so. The average cost rounded out to approximately 5,080 Yen, or roughly $32 USD.
However, 10.5% of the group said they actually spent too much money on in-game purchases, to the point they faced financial hardship.
Now, the definition of financial hardship is a bit dubious, as it could mean anything from not putting enough into savings or outright not having enough money to eat for an extended period. But the data nonetheless shows roughly one in every 10 gamers in Japan faced some form of financial strain as a result of their in-game spending.
As Automaton noted, this is actually a decline from 2024’s survey, which found 18.8% of those surveyed faced financial hardship.
E se Giuseppe Flavio avesse (quasi) ragione?