by: John LathamPosted on:

The New Gamer Economy: Making Virtual Currency Truly Valuable

It’s 2025, can we please get our money back from unused VC!! Check any Reddit, X, Quora, insert forum, etc. there’s going to be a thread speaking to frustration many gamers feel when it comes to sunk cost on in-game currencies.

According to a recent survey, gamers are spending over $100 annually on in-game purchases. That could be skins, loot boxes, battle passes, exclusive in-game accessories etc. In some cases, they’re just buying the virtual currency (VC) for “bargain” rates, and then making their desired purchases later. All of this seemed fine at first but let’s look at the pain points to the consumers:

  1. No Cross-Game Utility – If a new version of the game drops, there’s no guarantee that my transferred VC will maintain its value
  2. Reduced Abandonment Cost – Mitigates the financial loss when players stop playing a game, as they can transfer value to other players – Think Southwest’s Rapid Rewards program!
  3. Asset Liquidity – Gamers gain the ability to liquidate unused or unwanted virtual items/currency, recovering some value from past purchases

Now, let’s take a step back. This also presents significant risk to game developers: potential money laundering/exploitation, security issues from transfers, and a ton of potential technical issues.

But wouldn’t it be worth it to explore? The freedom gamers would gain from having true ownership of their digital assets could lead to shared benefits for both parties.

Here’s how I see the payment/fund flow playing out:

Now imagine this: A new secondary market becomes available where you can trade exclusive drops like trading cards of the past. Player agency like we’ve never experienced, where gaming is truly a new economy, beyond competition and entertainment. And for the gaming platforms, the ability to capture revenue from secure transfers and managing secondary markets would create new revenue streams.

All this to say, the possibilities are there… the question is, which platform in partnership with a studio will lead the charge and take the first step into the new gamer economy?