School kids often regret in-game purchases, UNICEF survey finds
Many children in the Netherlands between the ages of eight and 12 regret in-game purchases, a recent UNICEF survey has found. This refers to additional purchases of computer or video games in which users can buy money for loot boxes, weapons, skins (outfits), or virtual surprise chests, NOS reports.
Around 188,000 Dutch primary school pupils who play games in their free time took part in the survey. The results showed that almost half of them (92,000) had made in-game purchases during a computer game.
This type of offer allows you to buy money for additional options for the respective characters in the game or to make purchases to advance a level in the game. In-game purchases are particularly popular in games such as Word of Warcraft or Fortnite, which can cost between 5 and 25 euros.
The children's aid organization is very concerned about the results of its survey and the ongoing development of these purchase options. “Many of these games are free, but to really progress in the game you often need more,” UNICEF director Suzanne Laszlo tells NOS. “Then the pressure to buy things increases. It can even become addictive. These are children who are sometimes only in the 5th grade.”
NOS Jeugdjournaal editor Joppe Varkevisser suspects that peer pressure is behind the success of in-game purchases in computer games. “You used to completely belong if you wore certain branded clothing, and that has largely shifted to the internet. If you have very old or cheap ‘skin’, you are ridiculed.”
According to the broadcaster, it is also easier for children to pay for in-game purchases as they no longer have to go to their parents for a credit card as they did back then. Today, an online bank account and a banking app would be enough to transfer the necessary money with a QR code.
