Research Shows Almost Half The People Who Play ‘Free’ Games Buy Stuff In Them

Publishers don't put out "free" games just because they're great guys. They're hoping to hypnotize you into paying as much, if not more, than you would on games that you buy at full price. It's an effective business plan, according to market research firm NPD Group, which reports that 40 percent of free-game players end up opening up their wallets.

The findings come from a survey of more than 6,000 gamers, and say that chicks are totally into them, more likely to stick around for the long haul than dudes, who typically tire of them and move on. Imagine that -- women who seek a deep commitment and dudes would rather play the field.

The bad news for gentlemen is that we're more likely than females to cough up money for these hit-em-and-quit-em pastimes. As for us, we're happy with suffering through the obnoxious, between-every-turn ads in Words with Friends Free so long as we get to keep clinging to that dollar and avoid buying the full version.