Gamers manipulated into overspending, warn consumer groups

Gamers are being duped into buying extra features and content and they don’t know how much they are paying until later, that’s the warning from consumer organisations.

Playing video games is incredibly popular – more than half of Europe’s population are gamers. Amongst children it’s estimated 84 per cent of those aged 11 to 14 are playing. And it’s a growing industry with revenues of $227.6 billion last year, according to an analysis by accounting firm PWC.

Gaming has become its own world. No longer just about buying the game itself, it has its own virtual places where you can change the look, feel and sound.

Everything for a price, of course.

These in-game add ons have become a lucrative new revenue stream. They can contribute to the player’s experience, but the pressure to buy can be strong and consumer groups are worried.

To buy these extras, some brands require gamers to first purchase virtual tokens or credits. These in-game currencies can have their own rules about how and when they can be used, making it difficult to keep track of how much you are spending on each and every feature.

Consumer organisations are now demanding all games display the amount in a real currency, like Euro or dollars, with the total clear before you buy.

More than twenty consumer organisations from across Europe have written to the European Commission urging the EU to put pressure on the industry.

The Europe consumer group, BEUC, says children are particularly “vulnerable to these manipulative tactics”. They estimate children are spending, on average, €39 per month on in-game purchases.

“Gamers shouldn’t need to rely on a calculator anytime they want to make an informed decision”, says Agustín Reyna from BEUC.

“Deceptive practices must be stopped.

“Companies are well aware of children’s vulnerability and use tricks to lure younger consumers into spending more.”

Responding to the complaints, Video Games Europe, which represents the industry, said “the purchase of in-game currencies is a well-established practice, and well understood by players. Our members always respect European consumer laws in how they offer these purchases…”

“Players can experience entire games without spending any money, giving them the opportunity to try games without any upfront cost or commitment.”

The European Commission confirmed that it has received the complaint. “It is an industry we are looking [at], where we have rules that apply such as the Digital Services Act. Now, we have just received this complaint” and will now analyse it in detail, said Deputy Chief Spokesperson, Arianna Podesta.