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Games can no longer use virtual currencies to disguise the price of in-game purchases in the European Union

⁨709⁩ ⁨likes⁩

Submitted ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨remington@beehaw.org⁩ to ⁨gaming@beehaw.org⁩

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_831

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Comments

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  • misk@sopuli.xyz ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    The CPC Network, coordinated by the European Commission, is publishing a set of guidelines today to promote transparency and fairness in the online gaming industry’s use of virtual currencies.

    That doesn’t seem binding.

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    • unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Nah thats usually how those start out afaik. They start with a guideline and a grace period. Then when the grace period is over there is a warning period and after that it goes straight to fines.

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    • Micromot@feddit.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      It is in part. They are hosting workshops and publishing these guidelines so companies can work on it on their own merit but they will also take further action if the harmful practices continue

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    • HappyFrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      It seems they are saying that these are already enforced:

      The key principles and the Common Position are based on the existing general rules of EU consumer law directives that apply to digital services and digital content provided to consumers, including video games. The Commission will continue to examine these topics in the context of forthcoming consultations on the Digital Fairness Act.

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  • ocean@lemmy.selfhostcat.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Some people hate the eu but I swear I only hear wins

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    • zaphod@sopuli.xyz ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      It’s stuff like chat control that make me hate the EU sometimes.

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      • echodot@feddit.uk ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Oh and the really really dumb cookie law.

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    • cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      because the people who hate the eu are the people who are wrong.

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  • 60d@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Stop selling gambling as okay to kids. Gacha games equal gambling for minors.

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    • Sina@beehaw.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      This is especially funny in South Korea. Go to a Casino and burn $2000 and you may even get jail time, but gatcha is A ok.

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      • tempest@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        At least at a casino you can get something of value. The games effectively reward you in company script.

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    • MDCCCLV@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      It’d be fine if it was limited to like 1-5 dollars per account monthly with a yearly maximum. Not a 100 dollars at a time.

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  • rickyrigatoni@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Stay winning EU.

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  • Mad_Punda@feddit.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    I winner of this will on practice or an end to the scummy practice of badly sized in game currency pack sizes, one of the many scummy techniques they use to make people spend more.

    Let’s say the thing most players buy costs 3 ingame currency (I love that my autocorrect made „insane currency“ out of that). The smallest pack you can buy is 5. So, the player buys 5, spends 3 and has 2 left with which nothing to do. If they want another 3, they have to buy 5 more. Spend 3, have 4 left. Spend 3, have 1 left. The cycle continues.

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    • Oka@sopuli.xyz ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Or, just stop games from selling in-game content?

      Every skin is a texture or model swap, every “exclusive” always exists in the files, every in-game currency is fabricated.

      Games try really really hard to make you pay for something that is copy and pasted

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      • gamer@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        This is one of those radical ideas that people are terrified of, because it would kill the business models of a lot of massive corporations. It’s easy to spin that as the death of the game industry, rather than what it is: the death of a business practice.

        Like the laws against underage smoking probably wiped out billions in shareholder value, but that was objectively a good thing. Banning (or heavily regulating) in-game purchases would also be a good thing, no matter how much it affects existing players. If it leads to the death of name brands like EA, Ubisoft, etc. then who cares? The market will readjust and new players who were able to adapt to the changed environment will take their place.

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      • Fluke@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Artificial scarcity in it’s barest form.

        The fact that even some people think this shit is acceptable is very telling of how far we have yet to go, psychologically speaking, as a species.

        Monkeys in fucking trousers.

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  • uis@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Now do Stop Killing Games

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  • Mad_Punda@feddit.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    I find it interesting that it says it’s based on existing legislation. In that case I’ma bit disappointed that it took them so long to act. But, it’s of course a stop in the right direction.

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  • ColdWater@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Nice, good for EU

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  • LeninsOvaries@lemmy.cafe ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    How will this affect the Platinum market in Warframe?

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    • Arkthos@pawb.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      These seem to be the four major points:

      clear and transparent pricing and pre-contractual information;
avoiding practices hiding the costs of in-game digital content and services, as well as practices forcing consumers to purchase virtual currency;
respect of consumers' right of withdrawal;
respecting consumer vulnerabilities, in particular when it comes to children;

      First one actually seems pretty well covered by Warframe already. Second point can be met just by displaying the real currency price next to the plat price, calculated based on what people on average give per plat when purchasing through the Warframe website. Third point… Yeah that’s going to be a point of contention for sure. That’ll require a redesign of the plat system. Fourth point I’d also say Warframe does. Their ‘oh shit’ moment when they ended up creating a slot machine with, what was it, kubrow skins? Demonstrates them actually caring about this already. Basically they saw people interacting with a new mechanic much like one would a slot machine, and then soon after rolled it back and refunded everyone who had spent money on it.

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      • jarfil@beehaw.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        “Right of withdrawal” is quite easy: allow cancelling the transaction before the in-game content has actually been used.

        It only takes a “has been used” flag, and maybe a log entry to prove when.

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    • elfpie@beehaw.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Considering you can’t sell platinum for money, you could add complexity by converting it to another currency when exchanging hands. No value lost, exact same ratio. You buy platinum, you spend it on the store or it decays when you give it to another player. Platinum carries real world value, decayed doesn’t. Would that work? The only reason for doing that would be to obfuscate the fact platinum has real world value. The players being constantly aware of the fact might mess with the economy.

      Honestly, their monetization is really something I could never criticize.

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  • jamie_oliver@beehaw.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    What does this mean for me, a capital G gamer? /s

    But seriously, will I still be able to earn gold in MTGA?

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  • brygphilomena@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Will they get rid of games have 3 or 4 or more “currencies.”

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