EU consumer groups slam ‘manipulative’ video game spending tactics

6 comments

1. European consumer groups on Thursday accused the world’s biggest video game companies of “purposefully tricking” consumers, including children, to push them to spend more.

2. I feel like being brought back when EA was taken to the EU court for “gambling”, IIRC.

3. I agree with the proposal, but to be honest parents should not give money to children to spend on in-game currencies, unless they are truly aware of how easy it is to overspend. Parents should also take part of the blame, as kids cannot purchase any in-game items without a debit card.

4. I hope they’re successful in getting something done about it. It’s nuts that the industry standard is to separate the notion of real world money from purchases, and pricing things so that it’s impossible not to spend more than the price of a single purchase.

   It’s so blatantly scummy it’s crazy that most people just accept it, even disregarding the fact it’s almost always aimed at children as well.

5. With that and the Stop Killing Games campaign, we really have the spotlight shining on the industry’s dubious commercial practices nowadays. Good stuff.

6. while this probably won’t make them change tactics as the suggestions is just “show the equivalent in real world money” so you still needing to spend 20 to get an item that actually costs 16 will still be a tactic, it’s a step in right direction and i hope it goes through if nothing else, just so it’s easier to actually see what an item costs at a glance instead of having to go and look at what does this convert to in their “top up” tab or whatever they call the place where they convert money to funny money.