This is actually an important part of the market. A lot of the income of these games comes from "whales", players who spend a lot of money (sometimes thousands

This is actually an important part of the market. A lot of the income of these games comes from "whales", players who spend a lot of money (sometimes thousands a year) on them. These are typically people with high expendable income but a strong desire for social status, and one of the ways they try and get social status is by buying such items (which makes them very beloved and helps retain other players too)