A global inspection of 439 mobile and online games, conducted by various national consumer agencies—including the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) in Ireland—has revealed that many games incorporate design techniques that may aim to manipulate players as young as three into making choices or purchases they otherwise wouldn’t.
This inspection, coordinated by the International Consumer Protection Enforcement Network (ICPEN), aimed to pinpoint potential consumer harm linked to mobile and online games.
The findings highlighted several common manipulation tactics found in the assessed games, such as “sneaking,” where information is deliberately concealed or obscured, such as the actual price of virtual in-game currencies.
Additionally, a tendency for “nagging” was noted, wherein persistent, seemingly endless notifications or reminders pressure a player into agreeing to an action, like making an in-app purchase due to frustration.
The inspection also examined other potentially harmful consumer practices associated with “loot boxes” in games.
Loot boxes are in-game rewards that can be acquired using real or virtual currency, or by watching in-game advertisements or spending time playing the game.
The research revealed that only 30% of games featuring loot boxes disclosed this monetization strategy at the time of download.
Moreover, it indicated that loot boxes, in-game purchases, and in-game advertisements were equally prevalent in games rated for children aged three and above as they were in other age categories.
The inspection also identified urgency-style tactics designed to pressure players into purchasing items available for a limited time, even when this may not have been accurate.
The annual ICPEN inspection took place between March 31 and April 11 of this year, involving 22 global consumer authorities, including the CCPC.
