7-Eleven sees success with prepaid gaming cards

Dallas 7-Eleven has seen triple-digit growth in prepaid gaming cards. Cards doubled in sales over the past year, while 7-Eleven stores doubled its selection.

With more than 30 titles, 7-Eleven stores carry one of the largest selections of prepaid gaming cards among U.S. retailers.

Social gaming has exploded in the virtual world with millions of online players challenging themselves and each other in games, such as "World of WarCraft," "MapleStory" and "Runescape." Some experts estimate more than 250 million people worldwide are active social gamers. These online games have gotten a boost from the growing use of social networking sites such as Facebook, My Space and Twitter.

The two-year economic slowdown has hit the usually bullet-proof gaming industry hard because consumers finally limited their discretionary spending on consoles and videogames. However, prepaid game cards have proved to be a bright spot.

“Electronics and videogames are still the number one request on teens’ holiday wish lists,” said Brian Haynes, 7-Eleven category manager for prepaid cards, “With tighter budgets, many are choosing more affordable online games. Virtual currency or points can go a long way to enhance these online games without much cost.”