Digital games have been played for over half a century. Consumer education issues related to games were simple for the first few decades. All you had to do was walk into a shop and buy the game you wanted - or had enough money for. After that, the game was the player's property, and it could be sold to a friend or returned to the game shop, giving the player some money towards the next game.
The rise of the internet began to change this business model. Codes were added to game boxes that activated additional content for the first user of the game, making second-hand games less attractive to players. As internet transfer speeds improved, games sold as downloads no longer had to be fully finished products. The developer could release the latest changes in a day-zero patch on the release date. Eventually, the sale of games moved entirely online, and the games owned by the player were not stored on physical recordings but in online game libraries.
At first sight, the "ownership" of physical media products is not as important as it used to be. Flea market shelves are full of old DVDs, console games, and books that were abandoned when the internet brought movies, games, and audiobooks directly to the TV, game consoles, and smartphones. Piles of game discs have been replaced by an extensive list of icons, most of which are never clicked on, after appearing in the game's library as part of a unique offer or even a free promotion.
Digitalisation has also transformed games from products to services. As well as buying the game, you can then pay, for example, €5 to get a specific outfit for your character, € 10 a month to get more stuff in your character's inventory, and €100 to get a castle for your character to house the stuff you buy.
A few players are willing to spend large sums of money on games. The gaming industry talks about "whales" as players who have a lot of money at their disposal and poor impulse control. Back when games were still products, a game typically cost a few tens of euros, but the payment was a one-off. Now, a game may even be free. It can generate even more money from small revenue streams than larger one-off payments.
Over the years, game developers have experimented with diverse ways to lower the threshold for players to spend money on gaming services. Games may be designed with artificial obstacles or slowdowns that can be quickly overcome by paying. Cosmetic items are created in games to allow players to show off their progress in the game to other players. The most desirable items can also be hidden in random surprise boxes - loot boxes - where the probability of finding them can be in the per-mil range. Buying loot boxes is not worth aiming for a specific item.
In some games, items can also be traded between players, and some players may pay hundreds or even hundreds of thousands of euros for rare content.
When buying virtual goods, the temporary nature of the investment must always be accepted. Items may change or disappear as the game is updated. Even at their longest, games only last for a few decades, after which the time and money spent on the game will be nothing more than golden memories.
Spending money is always about choices and setting a real or imagined value to things. For a game educator, consumer education in games can boil down to the question, "What are you willing to pay for?" Purchases made within digital games should be compared to other experiences for which we are willing to pay.
- How much are you willing to pay to go to the movies?
- How much for a concert ticket?
- How about a holiday?
- How about a space station in an online game?
The game industry will be curbing the most blatant financial practices with a code of conduct that will come into force in April. The Code will force greater transparency and forbid the use of dark patterns. However, the job of the game educator does not stop there, as time spent playing digital games is increasing across all age groups. And soon, artificial intelligence will make games more personalised experiences that will take more time away from other aspects of everyday life.
Find out more about the work of the Finnish Safer Internet Centre, including its awareness raising, helpline, hotline and youth participation services – or find similar information for Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.
Digital games have been played for over half a century. Consumer education issues related to games were simple for the first few decades. All you had to do was walk into a shop and buy the game you wanted - or had enough money for. After that, the game was the player's property, and it could be sold to a friend or returned to the game shop, giving the player some money towards the next game.
The rise of the internet began to change this business model. Codes were added to game boxes that activated additional content for the first user of the game, making second-hand games less attractive to players. As internet transfer speeds improved, games sold as downloads no longer had to be fully finished products. The developer could release the latest changes in a day-zero patch on the release date. Eventually, the sale of games moved entirely online, and the games owned by the player were not stored on physical recordings but in online game libraries.
At first sight, the "ownership" of physical media products is not as important as it used to be. Flea market shelves are full of old DVDs, console games, and books that were abandoned when the internet brought movies, games, and audiobooks directly to the TV, game consoles, and smartphones. Piles of game discs have been replaced by an extensive list of icons, most of which are never clicked on, after appearing in the game's library as part of a unique offer or even a free promotion.
Digitalisation has also transformed games from products to services. As well as buying the game, you can then pay, for example, €5 to get a specific outfit for your character, € 10 a month to get more stuff in your character's inventory, and €100 to get a castle for your character to house the stuff you buy.
A few players are willing to spend large sums of money on games. The gaming industry talks about "whales" as players who have a lot of money at their disposal and poor impulse control. Back when games were still products, a game typically cost a few tens of euros, but the payment was a one-off. Now, a game may even be free. It can generate even more money from small revenue streams than larger one-off payments.
Over the years, game developers have experimented with diverse ways to lower the threshold for players to spend money on gaming services. Games may be designed with artificial obstacles or slowdowns that can be quickly overcome by paying. Cosmetic items are created in games to allow players to show off their progress in the game to other players. The most desirable items can also be hidden in random surprise boxes - loot boxes - where the probability of finding them can be in the per-mil range. Buying loot boxes is not worth aiming for a specific item.
In some games, items can also be traded between players, and some players may pay hundreds or even hundreds of thousands of euros for rare content.
When buying virtual goods, the temporary nature of the investment must always be accepted. Items may change or disappear as the game is updated. Even at their longest, games only last for a few decades, after which the time and money spent on the game will be nothing more than golden memories.
Spending money is always about choices and setting a real or imagined value to things. For a game educator, consumer education in games can boil down to the question, "What are you willing to pay for?" Purchases made within digital games should be compared to other experiences for which we are willing to pay.
- How much are you willing to pay to go to the movies?
- How much for a concert ticket?
- How about a holiday?
- How about a space station in an online game?
The game industry will be curbing the most blatant financial practices with a code of conduct that will come into force in April. The Code will force greater transparency and forbid the use of dark patterns. However, the job of the game educator does not stop there, as time spent playing digital games is increasing across all age groups. And soon, artificial intelligence will make games more personalised experiences that will take more time away from other aspects of everyday life.
Find out more about the work of the Finnish Safer Internet Centre, including its awareness raising, helpline, hotline and youth participation services – or find similar information for Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.
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