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The Safer Way to Pay and Play Online

Thursday 19 May 2011, 2:18PM

By Ellis and Co

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Now prepaid game cards offer a safer way to pay and play online
Now prepaid game cards offer a safer way to pay and play online Credit: Ellis and Co

Online theft of credit card details is one of the top concerns for the millions of Kiwis who shop, socialise or game online.

Many online games, such as facebook’s hugely popular FarmVille or Riot’s multiplayer League of Legends game, allow players to set up accounts to purchase products, game accessories and other items to maximise their gaming experience.

However, until recently, putting your credit card details online has been the only option for payment. That’s now all changing, thanks to Ezi-Pay, New Zealand’s leading provider of pre-paid solutions, and their launch of prepaid game cards.

Prepaid game cards offer Kiwi consumers a safe and convenient payment option. Many people are already familiar with redeeming iTunes cards online and prepaid game cards are no different.

Consumers simply purchase prepaid game cards over the counter at their local store, then load them onto their accounts to redeem their value. The cards will be available at a range of retailers, including The Warehouse, New Zealand’s biggest gaming retailer, from early June.

Prepaid game cards are available for some of the world’s most popular online games, including facebook’s most popular games such as FarmVille, CafeWorld and FrontierVille; Riot’s League of Legends; Xbox; RuneScape and of course, Sony PlayStation. Cards for popular children’s online games such as Moshi Monsters are also available, making the perfect gift or pocket money purchase.

CEO of Ezi-Pay, Dave Spicer, commented: “ There is a growing convergence of the virtual worlds of games and social media with the real world. The recent release of Gagaville on facebook, inspired by Lady Gaga, is just one example.

“More and more people are enjoying the fun, entertainment and social interaction offered by online games and want to access additional paid features. However, the threat of having their personal credit card details compromised if they use them to load value onto game accounts is a very real concern for many players.

“Prepaid game cards take away this concern and allow players to avoid the use of their credit card online. With prepaid game cards, even if a game company’s security is compromised, hackers have no access to your credit card details. The cards also allow people without credit cards, such as teenagers and younger children, to load value onto their accounts without having to access their parents’ credit cards.”

The popularity of online gaming is growing rapidly and along with it, the demand for prepaid game cards as consumers look for safe, simple and secure payment alternatives. In America, market research showed the sales of videogame accessories, such as prepaid cards used to purchase digital content within games, rose 20% in the past year.

In New Zealand, the gaming industry is worth approximately $170 million with 91% of New Zealanders aged 6 to 15 years and 43% of those over the age of 50 years participating in some form of online game .

Gaming devices are in nearly 90% of all households, be it PC, console or handheld. The average age of computer game players is 33 years with nearly as many females as males playing online. Females are more likely to play puzzle, card and social games, such as FarmVille, while males are more heavy consumers of action, multiplayer and fighting games.

Spicer said: “In recent years, the development and consumer accessibility to online gaming content has resulted in substantial growth in sales of virtual content items.

“Globally, there was an estimated 314 million monthly social gaming players across the top 10 publishers in 2010. This equates to 40% of all time spent on facebook and has helped created a game industry worth over US$5 billion in 2010. This is forecasted to rocket to over $11 billion by 2012.”

ENDS