FW: in-game purchases?

[Dean Collins]

Might be something  Australia should be looking to implement as well (though we have a much smaller game development market there).

 

 

Cheers,

Dean

 

From: Dean Collins
Sent: Friday, May 10, 2019 9:38 AM
To: 'newt...@meetup.com'
Subject: in-game purchases?

 

Any thoughts on this legislation?

Normally im against government intrusion, especially when something as specific as game mechanics, Interesting to see governments going after "micro-transaction" in any game that isnt defined as 'Adults only"

Thoughts? Personally I’m not sure this isn’t a bad piece of legislation.

 

 

Regards,

 

Dean Collins
Cognation Inc
de...@cognation.net
+1-212-203-4357        New York
+61-2-9016-5642        (Sydney in-dial).
+44-20-3129-6001      (London in-dial).

 

 

[drllau]

> Might be something  Australia should be looking to implement as well

The public interest argument is whether the state should legislate activities which the individual is not competent to judge the wider personal risks. Arguably for games (and web-sites) to become sticky (read addictive) they have copied the traits of poker machines, the dopamine hit from random intermittent reinforcement (tell that to facebook). If the state has asserted coercive powers over cannibinoids, opiates, and cocaine (though caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine have lobbied to get off that sin-list) then why not related activities? Now if people think state powers are a blunt instrument, you haven't seen China where they treat internet addiction with military-style boot camps to wean them off weapons of mass distraction.

Now whether public education, self awareness, or parental control are better approaches, these are valid debates but until it gets to the point where grandparents can eye source code and compile safe "games" there's not going to be easy choices. Police have better things to do, double-working parents are attention-deficit and schools would say not their ambit. Perhaps the film classification can extend their powers to games to inform parents of risks but in the end, the free market cannot be totally free as it is subject to moral and community standards.

Lawrence

http://www.linkedin.com/in/drllau

[drllau]

see recent noise about regulating addictive online activites (incl Facebook)

On Friday, 10 May 2019 21:39:21 UTC+8, Dean Collins wrote: