Defeating Gamer Guilt to Boost In-Game Spending

By Rose Semenov

Power-ups. Special weapons. Premium character skins. All of these are examples of in-game purchases or microtransactions that provide billions of dollars in revenue for the digital gaming industry. While heavy-spending gamers make up only a small fraction of the overall player base, they account for the majority of those microtransactions. This leaves a wide swath of lower-spending gamers as a relatively untapped market. 

The key to unlocking this spending power? Not game design—just less guilt. 

Research co-authored by Supply Chain & Operations Professor Rachna Shah, published in Production and Operations Management, suggests many gamers hold negative attitudes toward in-game purchases and view the expenses as a guilty pleasure. Rather than tweaking gameplay mechanics, the researchers suggest gaming companies should tackle the stigma head-on. 

“These deeply ingrained negative beliefs toward in-game purchases are particularly resistant to change because they are rooted in powerful psychological drivers: guilt, perceived unfairness, and moral unease,” Shah says. “In fact, our research reveals these negative beliefs are often more extreme than those associated with other forms of entertainment, including gambling. For gaming companies aiming to increase player spending, addressing and alleviating these negative perceptions is not just beneficial, it is essential.” 

Moderate spenders emerge as the sweet spot. They’ve already expressed a willingness to pay, and the study found they respond best to targeted messages that ease gaming guilt and reinforce positive benefits. Nudges, such as gamer testimonials and end-of-match performance summaries, could help subtly validate their in-game decisions. 

However, the strategy isn’t one-size-fits-all. Genre matters. The study reveals players felt less guilt with real-world-linked games like sports or racing titles, and far more with puzzle or shooter games. Strategy gamers, meanwhile, were the most guilt-ridden. The researchers say developers of these genres should consider baking guilt-reduction messaging into the gameplay. 

The findings also call attention to platform-specific differences. Console gamers were the most resistant to in-game purchases. Mobile gamers, on the other hand, proved far more open to changing their minds, giving marketers a clearer runway. For consoles, the researchers suggest a strategy focused on gameplay enhancements that provide long-term value to the player. 

The biggest boss battle, though? Reframing the way gamers talk about and how they justify in-game purchases. The researchers propose that an industry-wide communications push to combat these negative sentiments could help influence perceptions toward microtransactions. 

“Since these negative beliefs aren’t specific to one game, industry-wide initiatives to reshape beliefs may be more effective than isolated efforts,” Shah says. “Overcoming this psychological barrier is a critical step toward normalizing in-game purchases and unlocking broader monetization potential.”

Shah’s co-authors on this research include Mei Li of the University of Oklahoma, Hong Guo of Arizona State University, and Gysuk Lee of IE University.