In Free2Play games like Fortnite: Battle Royale, there are plenty of opportunities to spend money. This becomes a problem when children either have unsecured access to the game or trick their parents.
As a result, guardians now have to pay significant amounts. In England, complaints from frustrated parents about microtransactions in games are piling up.
What is the situation? Recently, a case made headlines in the UK where children spent hundreds of pounds on loot boxes in the football game FIFA 19. This once again sparked a debate about microtransactions and loot boxes in England.
Even high-ranking politicians like Tom Watson, deputy leader of the Labour Party, pointed out the risks of microtransactions, especially loot boxes, which could be a dangerous precursor to gambling addiction.
During the debate, the BBC called on parents to share their worst experiences with their children and transactions in games. And of course, Fortnite, which is popular among kids, was high on the list.
Thousands of Pounds for Fortnite and Other Online Games
What happened with Fortnite? One parent reported that their son had sunk around 1,000 pounds, equivalent to over 1,100 euros, into Fortnite. The boy did not spend the money all at once but repeatedly paid smaller amounts, which accumulated to this high sum over nearly 8 months.
However, there is also a silver lining for the parents, as the family car will now be clean for the next 15 years. And Fortnite is no longer available for the child.
What else has happened? With the 1,000 pounds, Fortnite ranks third in the list represented by the BBC.
- The most money was spent by a 22-year-old with severe intellectual disabilities, who is under parental care, who sunk over 3,000 pounds into an iPad game called Hidden Artifact. Unfortunately, the money was not refunded by the developer.
- A 16-year-old wagered almost 2,000 pounds in EA’s NBA basketball game. The parents never saw the money again, and all complaints were ignored by EA.
- A 12-year-old boy did not realize he was spending real money when entering his children’s account bank details in Clash of Clans. Therefore, he wasted around 700 pounds in the mobile game hit Clash of Clans. Again, the parents did not get their money back.
The cases mentioned here show how unmonitored children and the resulting microtransactions can seriously hurt families financially.
Therefore, it is extremely important to activate all conceivable safeguards on mobile devices and consoles and to not let children play unsupervised on their own devices.
On the other hand, the calls for regulations are growing louder, and in England, legislation may soon take measures against rampant microtransactions and loot boxes. In countries like Belgium, loot boxes are already banned.
In addition to the case mentioned here, there have been further incidents in Fortnite where children nearly ruined their parents.
