JACKSON, Tenn. — Whether it be a mobile game on your phone, or a video game on a gaming system or computer, in-app purchases can really break the bank.
Mobile games and video games provide so much fun to millions of people everyday. However, a growing trend in these games are micro-transactions. These are ways you can pay, to possibly enhance your experience within a particular game. Whether that be making the game easier, or simply disabling ads, so many games now offer this option.
“You definitely want to check. A lot of times, technically, it is free to play. But once you get inside that game, it may hinder you from enjoying the game thoroughly. Some of these revenue generating techniques are controversial. Especially when they target children,” said Toddnetta Trice, communication specialist for the BBB Mid-South.
One great way to make sure you, or your child does not accidently make an in-app purchase is to make sure your phone requires a password before anything is purchased. If your child does not know the password, they will need to ask you for it.
“We don’t want to put in a passcode like their birthday. Of course they’re going to try super easy things. So, you want to definitely make sure it’s personal for you and not something that your kids can easily hack into,” said Trice.
Now if you do plan on purchases something from a game or an app, trice has another big tip for us to be on the lookout for.
“If you are buying something, make sure it’s not recurring. So, that means it’s a one time purchase. A lot of times nowadays, it’s a recurring purchase. So you might buy something and not read the fine print and they’re going to keep taking that money out every week cause it’s a recurring purchase,” said Trice.
This is certainly been a problem in the past as EPIC Games is having to settle a class action lawsuit with the FTC. According to Trice, they got in trouble with many of their in-game purchases.
Just about any app that you download will offer in-app purchases, especially free mobile games.
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