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[GHG]

Several major videogame companies, including Epic Games, Electronic Arts (EA), and Roblox, were accused of misleading consumers into spending money in a complaint filed by the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and 22 of its members. This complaint was lodged with the European Commission and the European Network of Consumer Authorities, citing concerns over game mechanics that allegedly encourage excessive spending, especially among children.

The BEUC's complaint emphasizes that gaming companies are accused of using deceptive tactics, including premium in-game currencies, to mislead consumers, particularly young players, into making purchases. BEUC Director General Agustin Reyna stated that despite the virtual nature of the gaming world, these companies must still adhere to real-world consumer protection laws. He noted that the companies exploit children's vulnerabilities by making it harder for them to understand the real cost of digital items, causing overspending.

The complaint also extends to several other prominent companies, including Microsoft's Activision Blizzard, Mojang Studios, Supercell (majority-owned by Tencent), and Ubisoft. The concern raised by these associations is that consumers are not fully aware of the expenses tied to premium in-game purchases and that their rights are often ignored when dealing with these currencies.

The world of video games "shouldn't be a place where companies bend the rules to increase profits," said Agustín Reyna, the director of BEUC, suggesting that companies should display the amounts in real currency terms so gamers aren't left confused.

Reyna said the main concern with how video games currently operate their in-game currencies is that children get caught in them.

"Regulators must act, making it clear that even though the gaming world is virtual, it still needs to abide by real-world rules.

"Today, premium in-game currencies are purposefully tricking customers and take a big toll on children. Companies are well aware of children's vulnerability and use tricks to lure younger consumers into spending more."

In-game purchases rake in $50 billion globally—that's nearly a quarter of the entire video gaming market's revenue, BEUC said. About 84% of those aged 11 to 14 years are into video games, making them a large chunk of the audience.

In Europe, children spend roughly €39 a month on in-game purchases because of video gaming companies' "manipulative" ways.

Children are, therefore, directly impacted by the convoluted system of in-game currencies as they simultaneously lack the financial literacy to make informed purchasing choices, the consumer group highlighted.

European video gaming majors Supercell and Ubisoft face a complaint for designing games that 'trick' gamers into spending more money

The world of video games “shouldn’t be a place where companies bend the rules to increase profits,” said the director of a consumer group.

fortune.com

Epic, EA, Roblox, and more face EU complaint over tricking players into spending

Seven major games companies – including Epic Games, Electronic Arts, and Roblox – have been accused of misleading consu…

www.gamesindustry.biz

MSN

 

[Eesha]

Steam keeps winning by doing nothing as always, just leave the competition kill itself by doing this crap

 

[MMaRsu]

Ingame currency is such fucking bullshit. It should be gotten rid of.

Imagine spending 7€ to buy 250 fighter coins in Street Fighter 6. You can only buy them in increments

• 250 Fighter Coins = $6.99.
• 610 Fighter Coins = $11.99.

How much does a character cost though?

350 fighter coins

So 610 will only get you one, and 250 will get you none

Fuck off Capcom you greedy cunts

 

[Dr.Morris79]

Hope they all burn

 

[MMaRsu]

Steam keeps winning by doing nothing as always, just leave the competition kill itself by doing this crap

Sadly the 'competition' (?? is FC24 or Minecraft their competition?) isn't killing itself,

it's making a killing by ripping off gullible people

 

[GHG]

Ingame currency is such fucking bullshit. It should be gotten rid of.

Imagine spending 6€ to buy 250 fighter coins in Street Fighter 6. You can only buy them in increments

• 250 Fighter Coins = $6.99.
• 610 Fighter Coins = $11.99.

How much does a character cost though?

350 fighter coins

So 610 will only get you one, and 250 will get you none

Fuck off Capcom you greedy cunts

Yep, the fact that the purchase of these currencies don't round in a way that you can use all of them in a single transaction is one of the biggest offenses for me.

 

[SmokedMeat]

Couldn't happen to a nicer group.

 

[Shubh_C63]

EU keeping this world sane again.

Getting rid of in game premium currency or always display actual dollars as a supernote would be an amazing addition.

 

[Kupfer]

This is a good thing. Fuck the companies that shamelessly exploit the psychological patterns and weaknesses of vulnerable people and minors

 

[Eesha]

Sadly the 'competition' (?? is FC24 or Minecraft their competition?) isn't killing itself,

it's making a killing by ripping off gullible people

ye, mine was a bit of shitpostin'

still can't belive the good ol "CLICK HERE TO GET AWESOME STUFF" still works

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Ingame currency is such fucking bullshit. It should be gotten rid of.

Imagine spending 7€ to buy 250 fighter coins in Street Fighter 6. You can only buy them in increments

• 250 Fighter Coins = $6.99.
• 610 Fighter Coins = $11.99.

How much does a character cost though?

350 fighter coins

So 610 will only get you one, and 250 will get you none

Fuck off Capcom you greedy cunts

This. Every single time there is an in-game currency it is always unclear and opaque by design to make you spend more than you might need or want. Fuck them.

 

[Robb]

Finally some regulatory movement on this stuff.

 

[Davevil]

Steam keeps winning by doing nothing as always, just leave the competition kill itself by doing this crap

 

[Fortress of Regrets]

I hope that the EU eventually weeds out all this trash.

 

[HL3.exe]

Based EU coming in with solid regulations and policies when no other continent will. I know cost have gone up and development of games is riskier than ever, but man.

Imagine an art form like film being this sleazy about recurring spending and making the hard work of some of these devs feel like a dank slot machine.

Sometimes I think: the fuck happened to video games after the 00's. There was this whole cringe 'are games art' and 'The citizen Kane of games' conversation going on back then with games like Bioshock, Far Cry 2, GTA IV, etc. But at least the industry was finally becoming more mature and respected as an art form in some ways back then. But it turns out, 15 years later, they'd rather be this predatory casino made for teens and children, build around whales, with the occasional good game or mature title now and again which is becoming more rare as time passes on.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

But it turns out, 15 years later, they'd rather be this predatory casino made for teens and children, build around whales, with the occasional good game or mature title now and again which is becoming more rare as time passes on.

Because game companies figured it's hell of a lot easier to just run a digital casino than it is to make Citizen Kane of videogames and rely on that for sales.

 

[winjer]

We really need to have governments cracking down on these scams.

 

[HL3.exe]

Because game companies figured it's hell of a lot easier to just run a digital casino than it is to make Citizen Kane of videogames and rely on that for sales.

It's still a leftover from the arcade days, and era died in the 00's. But came back in a fucked up way due too mobile competition, investment/returns, increasing teams.

Why invest in a introspective character driven action adventure you only play once, when (in the same market) you can make a Candy Crush clone with a fraction of the cost and earn big.

 

[kikkis]

Based on that text, problem could have been just solved by parents being parents and not giving their credit card to kids.

Everybody is like yay micro transaction are gone and then complain that there is no games and they are less ambitious. I doubt gta 6 budget would be even half without onlines micro transactions.

On this case i doubt spending would really change however if you just show dollar amount next to v currency.

 

[GHG]

Everybody is like yay micro transaction are gone and then complain that there is no games and they are less ambitious. I doubt gta 6 budget would be even half without onlines micro transactions.

Except the inverse has happened. Microtransactions contributed to big games being less ambitious since they consistently need to fall back on methods that allow them to integrate these currencies and microtransactions in to the game.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Based on that text, problem could have been just solved by parents being parents and not giving their credit card to kids.

Everybody is like yay micro transaction are gone and then complain that there is no games and they are less ambitious. I doubt gta 6 budget would be even half without onlines micro transactions.

On this case i doubt spending would really change however if you just show dollar amount next to v currency.

Only took a moment with "it's parents fault!" shitposts to show up.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

Only took a moment with "it's parents fault!" shitposts to show up.

Well, they're not wrong. The parents are shit, and the companies are vultures

That's why companies pray on this. It's actually quite hard being a proper parent, but if you do it properly your kid won't touch or be interested in any of this bollocks

 

[Jesb]

I don't know how some of the stuff these companies pull is legal. About time these scum bags get noticed.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

but if you do it properly your kid won't touch or be interested in any of this bollocks

Ever had a kid come back from school and told you all their friends are playing game X and they didn't want to be excluded? Feel free to make your kid's life miserable but your principles will prevail!

 

[MMaRsu]

Based on that text, problem could have been just solved by parents being parents and not giving their credit card to kids.

Everybody is like yay micro transaction are gone and then complain that there is no games and they are less ambitious. I doubt gta 6 budget would be even half without onlines micro transactions.

On this case i doubt spending would really change however if you just show dollar amount next to v currency.

Maybe you could read the thread and OP before commenting?

 

[Dr.Morris79]

Ever had a kid come back from school and told you all their friends are playing game X and they didn't want to be excluded? Feel free to make your kid's life miserable but your principles will prevail!

My kid?

No

My kid has never been one to try and fit in for the sake of it and he's never felt misrable because he didnt have a computer game, like I said, It's all in the parenting, and it's not easy.

Everyone is free to do as they please, parent how they want, do whatever they feel necessary, but if you havent prepared your child for the world then you can't moan when the wolves are at the door and you've got your arse out

At some point you've got to take responsibility for the actions you've garnered.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

My kid?

No

My kid has never been one to try and fit in for the sake of it and he's never felt misrable because he didnt have a computer game, like I said, It's all in the parenting, and it's not easy.

Everyone is free to do as they please, parent how they want, do whatever they feel necessary, but if you havent prepared your child for the world then you can't moan when the wolves are at the door and you've got your arse out

At some point you've got to take responsibility for the actions you've garnered.

And I'm not saying I agree with any of these utterly abhorrent business practices. These people are disgusting who push these ethics in gaming

I truly hope they all burn in hell. Targeting kids in any aspect is demonic in my eyes.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

My kid?

No

My kid has never been one to try and fit in for the sake of it and he's never felt misrable because he didnt have a computer game, like I said, It's all in the parenting, and it's not easy.

Everyone is free to do as they please, parent how they want, do whatever they feel necessary, but if you havent prepared your child for the world then you can't moan when the wolves are at the door and you've got your arse out

At some point you've got to take responsibility for the actions you've garnered.

This has nothing to do with parenting, it has everything to do with kids having same passions and sharing them at school with their gang. My kids barely watch TV, they don't play shit mobile games , but you can be sure in the above situation I will let them get that epic skin because my kids happiness and well being is more important than me projecting things.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

This has nothing to do with parenting, it has everything to do with kids having same passions and sharing them at school with their gang. My kids barely watch TV, they don't play shit mobile games , but you can be sure in the above situation I will let them get that epic skin because my kids happiness and well being is more important than me projecting things.

Like I said, it's not easy. And projecting things? Give me a break. If being sensible is 'projecting' then thats fine by me

But only one of our kids are buying shitty epic skins

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

Europe does what American't.

 

[atyourservice]

It's always curious how valve seems to avoid most of these microtransactions legislative queries since (on the surface at least) their whole skin gambling and lootbox systems seem related

Haven't really looked into them so maybe the systems just aren't that predatory. or they're better at hiding it. or the volume of transactions is smaller than a fortnite or a fifa. Who knows

 

[thekillergreece]

Ingame currency is such fucking bullshit. It should be gotten rid of.

Imagine spending 7€ to buy 250 fighter coins in Street Fighter 6. You can only buy them in increments

• 250 Fighter Coins = $6.99.
• 610 Fighter Coins = $11.99.

How much does a character cost though?

350 fighter coins

So 610 will only get you one, and 250 will get you none

Fuck off Capcom you greedy cunts

CAPCOM is not the only company doing that FYI but I get your point. It sucks.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

Ingame currency is such fucking bullshit. It should be gotten rid of.

Imagine spending 7€ to buy 250 fighter coins in Street Fighter 6. You can only buy them in increments

• 250 Fighter Coins = $6.99.
• 610 Fighter Coins = $11.99.

How much does a character cost though?

350 fighter coins

So 610 will only get you one, and 250 will get you none

Fuck off Capcom you greedy cunts

In-game currency itself isn't the problem, it's how it's used.
It actually comes with some benefits, real money purchases are often locked to the platform they are purchased on, but fake currency purchases get tied to your account, so you can often take them with you cross-platform.
The real issue is indeed pricing the purchases in such a way that you always need to spend more than you need.

Ironically activision is better at this than ma y, CoD operator packs are generally priced at 2400cp, and you can purchase this amount directly.

 

[MMaRsu]

In-game currency itself isn't the problem, it's how it's used.
It actually comes with some benefits, real money purchases are often locked to the platform they are purchased on, but fake currency purchases get tied to your account, so you can often take them with you cross-platform.
The real issue is indeed pricing the purchases in such a way that you always need to spend more than you need.

None of those things cannot be done with real money.

That's just how they use it.

 

[MMaRsu]

CAPCOM is not the only company doing that FYI but I get your point. It sucks.

They are egregious with it in a full priced title though

Namco same.

 

[RoboFu]

How are you " tricked " into spending money. Are these people so dumb they really need a government nanny to " keep them safe "? That's pretty sad.

 

[Spyxos]

It's about time something was done about it.

 

[Three]

Steam keeps winning by doing nothing as always, just leave the competition kill itself by doing this crap

These are publishers in trouble my friend not a store. In the same vein you can say Nintendo and PlayStation keep winning too by not doing this crap.

The things these publishers are in trouble for happens on games sold on Steam.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

None of those things cannot be done with real money.

That's just how they use it.

How? Real money purchases go through different billing providers and the platform holder takes a cut; a different platform holder isn't going to allow unlocking the content without taking a cut and that also opens up a whole different can of worms when it comes to refunds.
The only way real money purchases could work that way, is if the publisher paid the platform holder for their cut, or if they don't allow any purchases on the platforms, but have their own dedicated stores.

 

[Saber]

Finally. This needs to happen so longer those companies can use parents as a scapegoat for their dirty tatics.

 

[MMaRsu]

How? Real money purchases go through different billing providers and the platform holder takes a cut; a different platform holder isn't going to allow unlocking the content without taking a cut and that also opens up a whole different can of worms when it comes to refunds.
The only way real money purchases could work that way, is if the publisher paid the platform holder for their cut, or if they don't allow any purchases on the platforms, but have their own dedicated stores.

Because none of that has anything to do with tying content to different profiles or anything like that.

 

[Three]

I know for a fact that ABK actually builds models that psychologically exploit you to spend money on ingame purchases on an 'individual' level.

 

[MMaRsu]

I know for a fact that ABK actually builds models that psychologically exploit you to spend money on ingame purchases on an 'individual' level.

Yeah most companies who do anything with MTX do that

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

Because none of that has anything to do with tying content to different profiles or anything like that.

Sure it does, it's no different than buying any other dlc, the real money purchase is tied to the platform, because the platform holder takes a cute and thus provides the license that enables the real money purchase to be used and thus that licence only exists on that platform; to unlock the content on a different platform that platform holder has to provide its licence, which means they need their cut.
Nothing gets tied to your cross-platform in game profile with a real money purchase, it's locked to the platform unless the publisher pays for the extra licence.

 

[Generic]

Steam keeps winning by doing nothing as always, just leave the competition kill itself by doing this crap

Valve is the biggest offender with their lootboxes.

 

[Eesha]

Valve is the biggest offender with their lootboxes.

they actually invented them whit TF2, so yeah

 

[Cyborg]

Good! Make them stop it.

 

[mdkirby]

No shit, this has been blindingly obvious for forever. There's already been quite a bit of regulation passed to curtail the predatory practices of GAAS, particularly among kids, and it's imo one of the reasons the model is now failing so hard. There's a reason these companies hire people from the casino/gambling industry and psychologists. Could be an important part of the industry starting to heal and reset itself.

 

[sankt-Antonio]

How are you " tricked " into spending money. Are these people so dumb they really need a government nanny to " keep them safe "? That's pretty sad.

If Kids can't be trusted to buy alcohol at an appropriate age neither should gambling be.

 

[cireza]

Based on that text, problem could have been just solved by parents being parents and not giving their credit card to kids.

Everybody is like yay micro transaction are gone and then complain that there is no games and they are less ambitious. I doubt gta 6 budget would be even half without onlines micro transactions.

On this case i doubt spending would really change however if you just show dollar amount next to v currency.

Games designed around these practices can die. What happens to the other games is irrelevant. Nothing will happen anyway.