'Super Whales' drop upwards of $10K on social games

If you've ever wondered just how much people are spending in FarmVille and other social games, a new report from Social Gold and Inside Social Games have found some (disturbing) answers. About 90% of social gamers don't drop a dime on these free-to-play games, but those who do, average about $60 a person.

That's not the unsettling part of the story. There's a tiny percentage of that spendy population, called "Super Whales,' who have dropped over $10K on FarmVille and its ilk. Social Gold, a company that provides microtransaction software to game developers, reports that one lavish spender in Saudi Arabia has dropped $25,000 (yes, you read that right -- 25 THOUSAND) dollars on social games and another in the US has invested nearly $20,000 in games as well. Can you say goodbye college fund?

One game maker says he ran across several hedge-funders who tried to out-spend each other in one of his games, dropping over a grand each on virtual armor and weapons. We predict it's only a matter of time until we see a bankrupt virtual farmer sobbing on Dr. Phil. Oh, the horror.