Consumer Protection – Consumer associations denounce the use of virtual currencies to buy cosmetics and bonuses
Having to convert your money into diamonds or gold coins to make video game purchases: this is what several European organizations are opposed to. This Thursday, around twenty consumer associations filed a complaint with the European Commission against seven publishers. Among them, the French Ubisoft, but also Mojang (Minecraft), Epic Games (Fortnite) ou Electronic Arts (EA Sports FC 2024).
“We’ve been looking at the video game industry for a while now,” explains Frithjof Michaelsen, digital project manager at UFC-Que Choisir, one of the French plaintiff associations, who points out that more than 70% of French people play. “The virtual currency model has existed for ten or fifteen years,” he continues. “In more and more games, you don’t see the price of purchases in euros. This is the case in 81% of the most popular games on smartphones.” To buy a sword, a cosmetic accessory or more playing time, in-game stores almost always offer to buy one or more resources in euros. These are then exchanged, in another menu, for the desired content. According to data from the European Consumer Organisation, children spend an average of 39 euros per month on in-game purchases.
“We try to make people forget that we are spending money”
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