“But basically people are trying to make money off these apps, which is a huge problem, and only going to get bigger because mobile apps are the new platform for kids.” “Parents need to know that the promotion of games and the delivery mechanism for them are deceptively cheap,” said Jim Styer, president of Common Sense Media, a public advocacy group for online content for children. Last week, Google announced the addition of in-app transactions to its Android platform, allowing games like Smurf’s Village to pillage the wallets of Android users everywhere. Many other free-to-play games use this model of in-game purchases to subsidize their initial price of “free” on Apple’s App Store. And is a small warning enough, when the entire game is monetized by milking users (children, in this case) of real cash? Deceptively cheap You may lock out the ability to purchase in-app content by adjusting your device’s settings.” The warning did not come soon enough for Madison’s family. “PLEASE NOTE: Smurf Village is free to play, but charges real money for additional in-app content. In December, the publisher added this warning to the iTunes description of the game. To add perspective, the smallest popular purchase, $4.99, is about the full price of a premium iPhone/Android game. Is it right to bait children with in-game purchases like these?Ĭapcom knows about the problem. Even one mistake could cost a family $99. While we’re already confused why someone paid $4.99 for 1 bucket of Smurfberries while others received 4 buckets for said price, the list shows the ridiculously large amounts of money Capcom is charging children for in-game content. Here are the top purchases in Smurf’s Village (via iTunes): Only a password is required to buy Smurfberries, and once entered, users (kids) have 15 minutes to purchase as many items as they can before having to reenter any passwords (ask their parents). Though Smurf’s Village is aimed at children 4 years old and up, it baits them with in-game purchases that can cost almost $100. But is it right to market them explicitly to kids, who may not even be old enough to understand the concept of money? Smurfing is expensive Games like these are designed to be highly addictive. Much like FarmVille, players like Madison start Smurf’s Village with only a “single mushroom house and a lone plowed plot of land.” From there, players attempt to grow Smurfberries so they can afford enhancements to their home and village so they can grow even more Smurfberries and improve their village even more, and so on, and so on. Though the game is targeted at young children, it lets players cheat their way toward faster rewards by using real money to purchase bountiful amounts of Smurfberries, a valuable currency within the game. The Washington Post reports that an 8-year-old girl named Madison amassed a $1,400 bill from apple for decorating her home in Smurf’s Village, an iPhone and iPad game by Capcom. Fitbit Versa 3ĭecking out your iPhone Smurf house may cost more than you thought.
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