Going to GDC? Come talk social gaming and virtual goods with chief ohai Susan Wu!

If you’re going to the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco next week, chief ohai Susan Wu will be talking about virtual goods and social gaming for two events there. On March 10 at 3:30pm for GDC’s VCON, Susan will be on a panel called “How Monetizing Games-as-a-Service will Save you from Extinction“.

Then on March 11th at The Box from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm., she’ll be at the Cha-Ching! Workshop: Realizing Revenues Through Virtual Economies.

Speaking of GDC, we’re having an office party to celebrate the beta release of our first MMO, City of Eternals, and give folks a sneek peek of our next game, Project Unicorn Parade. Here’s info on requesting an invite!

ohai — we’re in Forbes talking virtual goods!

Forbes has an article on virtual goods featuring chief ohai Susan, who explains why they’re a valuable commodity people are willing to pay for: They help us symbolically express how we feel about each other, and show off our own place in the world. Or as she puts it there: “It’s about relationship building, and things like rank and status.” Also, big ups to City of Eternals player and CoE Wikia fansite editor Greg, who tells Forbes about our community’s passion for buying items to pimp up their vampire cribs.

Chief ohai Susan tells PBS’ Media Shift how virtual goods might help the news industry

ohai, PBS’s Media Lab has a very interesting editorial on what virtual goods can teach the news industry, which is struggling to find new ways of funding itself in the digital age. Chris O’Brien points to the virtual goods industry as an inspiration, and gets some wisdom from chief ohai Susan:

Here’s what she understood early on about the value of virtual goods: In the real world, we have all sorts of intangible interactions, from shaking hands to smiling to offering blessings. The value of virtual goods is not about the object, but rather its ability to express an emotion or feeling in a way that has value. “Sending someone a virtual beer is not about the beer,” Wu told me. “It’s a way to show, ‘I have an affection for you.’”

Much more here.

In Study, 41% of Women in Social Games Use Virtual Currency, 10% Purchase With Real Cash

Interesting data from a study by online marketing firm Q Interactive: 41% of female players who play social games use the virtual currency within them, and at high rates: “Of those using virtual currency, 57 percent engage in online transactions on a daily basis, whether it be once (33.4 percent) or multiple times (23.8 percent) per day. About one quarter (23.2 percent) use virtual currency weekly.” Among those who do use virtual currency, one in ten women purchase it with real cash (as opposed to taking a survey or other “offer”-based exchanges): “Only 10.4 percent have spent real money, with half (47.10 percent) spending under $20 and 38.2 percent spending between $20 and $100.” That’s actually a pretty impressive conversion rate, especially with a plurality paying more than twenty bucks. Image credit: brandweek.com