ReportVideo Games Europe
In-Game Spending: Parents' Supervision of In-Game Spending 2023
1 Jan 202315 pages~11 min full read
Three-quarters of children do not engage in in-game spending, a figure that has remained stable since 2020.
See it on page 4Average monthly in-game spending among children who do spend increased from €33 in 2020 to €39 in 2023, a rise consistent with inflation.
See it on page 6The majority of in-game spending (64%) is concentrated in the €1–20 monthly range, with gameplay-impacting content (34%) and cosmetic items (33%) being the most popular purchases.
See it on page 5Parental oversight is high, with 90% of parents of spending children maintaining some form of agreement, including explicit permission requirements (38%) or spending limits (23%).
See it on page 7While 44% of parents who do not use parental controls consider them unnecessary, 32% report that they find these tools difficult to activate.
See it on page 10Loot boxes and unknown-reward items remain unpopular, with only 4% of all surveyed players (ages 11–64) reporting having purchased them.
See it on page 13The research, conducted across five major European markets, indicates that only 9% of all players (ages 11–64) have purchased in-game currency.
See it on page 12The research investigates how parents supervise and manage their children’s in‑game purchases, tracking trends across five European markets—United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy—over four survey waves (2018, 2019, 2020 and 2023). Each wave surveyed adult parents or guardians of children who play video games, with sample sizes ranging from 962 in 2018 to 2,808 in 2023, providing a broad cross‑section of the region’s gaming households.
Findings show that three‑quarters of parents consistently report that their children do not spend on in‑game extras, a proportion that has remained stable since 2020. Among the minority who do spend, the average monthly outlay rose from €33 in 2020 to €39 in 2023, reflecting a €6 increase that aligns with inflation. Most spending (64 %) falls within the €1‑20 range, with the most popular items being gameplay‑impacting content (34 %) and decorative or cosmetic items (just under one third). Loot boxes and other unknown‑reward items remain relatively unpopular.
Parental oversight is high: nine‑in‑ten parents of spending children have some form of agreement, half of which are explicit—either seeking permission (38 %) or setting limits (23 %). Preferred monitoring tools include credit‑card bill checks, parental‑control settings, and two‑factor authentication, though 44 % of parents who avoid controls deem them unnecessary and 32 % find them difficult to activate. Awareness of in‑game currency and loot boxes among all players (ages 11‑64) is also limited, with only 9 % having purchased in‑game currency and 4 % having bought loot boxes. The study’s methodology relies on standardized questionnaires administered to representative adult panels in each country, ensuring comparability within each survey year while noting that cross‑year comparisons are constrained by methodological changes.
