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The design of these sorts of transactions in games are really insidious. I suspect most payment providers would immediately flag single 2,500 transaction as su
by FigurativeVoid 3y ago
The design of these sorts of transactions in games are really insidious.
I suspect most payment providers would immediately flag single 2,500 transaction as suspect and prevent it, but breaking it up into small chunks prevents that.
That some breaking up of cost makes it hard to feel like you are actually spending money. A few 5 pound packs and suddenly you're talking about real money.
It seems like the various app stores should have some sort of preventative measures in place to stop kids from spending money (especially large sums), as it seems obvious these sorts of games are targeting them to spend money. Many even engage in dark patterns to get them to spend without realizing.
- jon-wood 3y agoI don't really know why in-app microtransactions, and especially in-app currencies, like this are even allowed in apps targeted at children. The worst example I saw was when my son was playing a mobile game based on a TV show for pre-schoolers. The developers had added an entire in-app currency, complete with prompts to buy packs of it when you game over, to a game explicitly targeted at children who can't even speak yet. I considered it a £60 lesson in better screening which games I install, but I'm still pretty pissed at the whole thing years later.
- ryandrake 3y agoHow are pre-schoolers even able to pay? My 10 year occasionally begs me for micro transactions in these rando games she installs even though she knows it's useless. She can't actually buy anything herself because 1. kids don't have credit cards and 2. I just don't give her mine.
- dragonwriter 3y agoSome parents don't use a separate profile for kids and have their app store purchase settings set to the low friction mode that lets you click and buy on the main payment method without any additional confirmation when the phone is unlocked.
- seviu 3y agoMaybe I am guessing too much here, but I got kids, and one iPad, and my kids use the iPad. The fact that there is no multiple accounts set up for iPad is on Apple and their greed so that we have to buy multiple devices. Imagine doing the same with a Mac. I dont blame this woman if this is the case.
- hourago 3y ago> I don't really know why in-app microtransactions, and especially in-app currencies, like this are even allowed in apps targeted at children. Because they can. Corporations will engage in any behavior that is not forbidden by law and makes a profit independently on how immoral it is. The only reason that 5 years olds are not working in mines is because it is forbidden by law, nothing else. Corporations are not people nor have any human moral values.