The maker of the video game Genshin Impact has agreed to pay $20 million and to block children under 16 from making in-game purchases without parental consent to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations the company violated a children’s privacy law and deceived children and other users about the real costs of in-game transactions and odds of obtaining rare prizes.
“Genshin Impact deceived children, teens, and other players into spending hundreds of dollars on prizes they stood little chance of winning,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Companies that deploy these dark-pattern tactics will be held accountable if they deceive players, particularly kids and teens, about the true costs of in-game transactions.”
I wish for the same, getting children addicted to gambling is a big problem that needs to be solved.
Sports gambling has gotten so egregious its wild. Watching hockey with my dad is one of my core childhood memories and these days if I had kids I don’t even think I’d let them put a game on and that’s sad as hell. From tv time outs, to rink ads, to even Gretzky himself promoting sports betting on the talk shows, it’s ubiquitous from TV to video games, gambling stuff is everywhere,