The UK's OFT is proposing regs for microtransactions.

[Ack]

Hmm, the Office of Fair Trading in the UK has released a proposal for regulations to go into effect next year concerning microtransactions in games targeted towards children. Here's the proposal:

http://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/consum ... ft1506.pdf

Keep in mind, this is aimed more toward web and app-based games, but any potential regulation could also influence video games as a whole. And the proposal is also based around such games produced for children, much like television advertising regulations regarding ads targeting kids. The goal is to make microtransaction models less manipulative regarding children, so prices will be more upfront, more hoops will be required to actually make a purchase, and less emotional manipulation will occur, such as in this example:

"The OFT said some of the worst examples it had seen involved games that led children through an adventure but then withheld a promised reward until they spent money, and instances where the title made the player feel bad by telling them a virtual animal was "ill" but could be made better if the gamer made a purchase."

-BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24272010

I wonder if we'll see a similar model proposed by the FCC or some government organization in the US.

[Reprise]

Or parents could just do their job.

[Pulsar_t]

Or parents could just do their job.

Better yet, parents could spawn fewer mutts Seriously, if you can't keep your little shit in check don't bother having one. The world is full as it is.

[AppleQueso]

I don't have any issues whatsoever with a system to regulate micro-transactions in games targeted at children.

[irixith]

Or parents could just do their job.

If you had children, you'd know that it's impossible to keep track of them every second of the day. Sure, let's throw all the blame at the parent's feet, every choice their child makes must be their fault.

Providing more hoops to prevent kids from making inevitable stupid decisions isn't a bad thing.

[Reprise]

Or parents could just do their job.

If you had children, you'd know that it's impossible to keep track of them every second of the day. Sure, let's throw all the blame at the parent's feet, every choice their child makes must be their fault.

Providing more hoops to prevent kids from making inevitable stupid decisions isn't a bad thing.

Funny you assume I have no child.

But seriously, I have no problem with this. No problem what so ever. I just have to laugh at some of the articles that go around on the Daily Mail. "I allowed my child to have unrestricted use of my iPad/iPhone and they ran up a bill of £1000 playing this harmless Disney game!" - No, shit, really!!?? Who would have thought that could happen!!???

[AppleQueso]

I just have to laugh at some of the articles that go around on the Daily Mail.

Well it's the Daily Mail

[irixith]

But seriously, I have no problem with this. No problem what so ever. I just have to laugh at some of the articles that go around on the Daily Mail. "I allowed my child to have unrestricted use of my iPad/iPhone and they ran up a bill of £1000 playing this harmless Disney game!" - No, shit, really!!?? Who would have thought that could happen!!???

For which absolutely the parent must accept responsibility for leaving an unrestricted payment method available to be used, and the game developer should feel slimy for manipulating kids. Not that I have any particular problem with it, it's just a business model -- but a few more hoops to make sure that those are actual purchasing decisions rather than just a single button press to get to the next screen? Not a big deal. Just not necessarily the fault of "bad parenting".

[Reprise]

But seriously, I have no problem with this. No problem what so ever. I just have to laugh at some of the articles that go around on the Daily Mail. "I allowed my child to have unrestricted use of my iPad/iPhone and they ran up a bill of £1000 playing this harmless Disney game!" - No, shit, really!!?? Who would have thought that could happen!!???

For which absolutely the parent must accept responsibility for leaving an unrestricted payment method available to be used, and the game developer should feel slimy for manipulating kids. Not that I have any particular problem with it, it's just a business model -- but a few more hoops to make sure that those are actual purchasing decisions rather than just a single button press to get to the next screen? Not a big deal. Just not necessarily the fault of "bad parenting".

I know it's confrontational and I'd get a lot of flack for it, but I just feel like I've been witnessing parents getting softer and softer as I've aged, kids getting brattier and brattier and parents expecting the Government to do more and more... But I guess I'm just another one of those grumpy people stuck in an the last generation that moans about the current generation. I agree it's not a big deal to have a few more hoops.