A colorful, well designed, 20-foot billboard may not influence a gamer as much as a passing comment like,"Dude, Halo is awesome." At least, that's what a study conducted by Waggener Edstrom, a public relations firm for Microsoft, would have you believe.

The survey concluded that a recommendation from a friend is three times more likely to compel a purchase than traditional advertising. Waggener Edstrom polled 507 gamers on their shopping habits and determined that word of mouth commanded the most leverage during a purchasing decision.

Furthermore, the study identified a segment as "influence multipliers," a subset of hyper-influential gamers who possessed a disproportional level of influence over their friends and family. Dan Gallagher, senior vice-president of Insight and Analytics at Waggener Edstrom, explains "influence multipliers have an outsized network influence effect on their gaming colleagues."

Considering you're reading this, you may be an influence multiplier in your own social circle. Your Metal Gear Solid t-shirt combined with your knowledge of the industry will place your opinion before online demos, reviews, and promotional content in terms of importance.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy your fleeting moments of power as you suggest games like Rogue Warrior and Tony Hawk: RIDE to your closest chums [via GamePolitics].