Sveriges Konsumenter and 20 other European consumer organizations have expressed concern over the tactics used by gaming giants to entice children and young people to spend money on in-game purchases. These strategies are considered deceptive and manipulative.
The organizations are particularly critical of the use of virtual currencies, such as V-bucks in "Fortnite" or FC Points in "FC" (formerly "Fifa"). Players purchase these virtual currencies with real money and then use them for in-game purchases.
– We believe that these companies deliberately obscure the true costs of in-game purchases from consumers, says Sinan Akdag, international secretary at Sveriges Konsumenter.
A survey by Video Games Europe found that while three out of four parents reported their children spending no money on games, those who did spent an average of 444 kronor per month in 2023, up from 375 kronor in 2020.
– We question the ethics of targeting children with such aggressive marketing tactics and encouraging them to pester their parents for in-game purchases, Akdag says.
The organizations, along with BEUC and ten other consumer groups, have filed a complaint with the CPC, the network of EU consumer authorities, against seven major gaming companies.
The gaming companies often include unfair terms and conditions that allow them to remove content or change prices at any time. They also claim that players are only purchasing a license to use the virtual currency, exempting in-game purchases from consumer protection laws.
– These gaming companies are essentially circumventing consumer rights, Akdag stated.
The organizations are demanding that purchases be reported in the country's currency, that in-game purchases be disabled by default, and that unfair terms be eliminated.
– Nearly the entire gaming industry employs these marketing methods, Akdag says.
– We want the Consumer Protection Network to investigate these seven games and advocate for new rules and regulations to govern the entire industry.