A Japanese bank asked young people how much money they spend. Some young people stated that they have gone overboard with in-game purchases.
Where does the data come from? The Japanese bank and financial institution “SMBC” surveyed 1,000 individuals aged between 20 and 29 about their purchasing behavior in February 2025, including 500 men and 500 women. People in this age group are classified as Generation Z.
The study examined the purchasing behavior of young people in various areas of life, including spending on gaming and investing in virtual currencies.
Young people admit they spent too much money on games
What do the respondents say? The respondents not only explained in the survey how much they spend, but also how they generally feel about in-game purchases. The following results emerged (via smbc-cf.com):
- 21.6% of respondents stated that they have spent money to purchase items in video games or to utilize gacha mechanics like in Genshin Impact.
- Of the respondents who have invested money in games, 18.8% indicated that they invested so much money in in-game purchases that they could no longer afford their living expenses, including rent and food.
- Overall, the proportion is higher among men (22.8%) than among women (14.8%) who invest too much money in in-game purchases.
- 17.9% of all respondents also state that they are willing to pay money for in-game advantages.
- Additionally, 20.8% of respondents explain that they cannot enjoy games if they do not make in-game purchases.
- Generally, men tend to be slightly more affected than women when it comes to in-game purchases.
Controversial mechanics encourage spending: In addition to pay-to-win mechanics that provide players with tangible advantages, so-called gacha mechanics are highly controversial among players.
Gacha games, like Genshin Impact in the featured image, rely on randomness: Anyone who wants a particular character or item must keep pulling until they finally get the desired character. Players and streamers invest thousands of euros to pull a popular character. Some even risk marriage, careers, and livelihoods for gacha games and end up losing everything.
According to Polygon, Japanese players are particularly affected: Japan alone is said to account for 14.3% of all spending in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Generation Z is entering the job market. According to statistics, a large portion holds a university degree. However, this becomes a downfall for some young people, as there are too many applicants for too few positions. In Germany, every 5th employee is overqualified: Generation Z is the best-educated generation in history: Unfortunately, it is also the most overqualified in the job market.
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