Parents Suing Apple Over In-Game Purchasing

[Epona]

When my son wants to play Mass Effect 3, I have to input my password into Origin. Now if he wanted to buy DLC, he would be prompted with a password request. What if I gave him my Origin password, he would then have the password to buy DLC.

The problem is that some games need a password to play at all and that is the same password used to buy microtransactions. It may not be the case with Apple but it is going to be a problem in the future when all games require some sort of login.

 

[Irick]

I do not understand the issue here.
What is the argument? That the Apple is somehow forcing parents to give their kids access to their accounts without question?

Let me lay out two scenarios here:

Your child asks you if they can please buy a .99 cent smurfberry. They have been very good today and you are feeling generous, so you oblige them by inputting your itunes password and letting b them buy the requested digital item. Later on you discover that they then abused your trust and bought all teh smurfberries.

Reaction: Sue Apple for publishing addictive games.

Your child asks you if they can please have a .99 cent icecream bar from the local shoppe. They have been very good today and you are feeling generous, so you oblige them by giving them your debit card and PIN to buy the requested delicious item. Later on you discover that they then abused your trust and bought a few CDs as well as the .99 cent icecream bar.

Reaction: Sue W.B. for publishing addictive music.

This does not make sense to me. Parents can not offload the responsibility of raising their kids to society at large. Are these games designed to make kids want to buy things? Yes. Does the fact that they are digital goods make it much easier to obtain then traditional items? Yes. However, if you as a parent do not teach your kid that stealing from you is wrong, no mater how colorful the end result is, you have failed to do your duty as a parent.

Kids are tempted to do all sorts of things that are bad for them: eat candy all day, not go to school, call eachother hurtful names, etc. Leaving your kid unsupervised with your passwords is not the fault of Apple, or W.B., or anyone else. Would you blame your cable company if your kid ordered PPV TV because you told them your password?

 

[Erana]

Whoops, someone bought something on my computer using my information. Better sue the computer manufacturers!

I just don't get it. Why are they going after Apple? They didn't make the software in question, and its stupid for people to demand that they police the app store application process even more than they already do. For all the little oddities that slip through, their rules are tight enough as it is.

 

[Preacher zer0]

Parents should pay more attention to what their kids are doing online instead of using technology as a babysitter.

No sympathy.

 

[Braedan]

This is just me... but I'm pretty sure you should NOT give an irresponsible little shit your Itunes password. And should you not be trying to sue the game maker? As much as I like to see Apple suffer they didn't price the berries at 99$, and they didn't force you to purchase them.

 

[Baldr]

Here exactly what happened: The parents put in the password to update the game. Since it does not log out for 15 minutes, the 4 year old was able to purchase $1400 without a prompt or notice. Not saying the parents are not responsible for being vigilant, people need to know the facts.

 

[Farther than stars]

Well, if it is a problem with addiction then maybe it's time fo some additional legislation conrcerning these types of games. You know, the same way it's against the law for minors to be gambling.

 

[Comando96]

Breaking news.

The Skinner Box isn't evil. However it is evil people who use it to manipulate people. It is also stupid parents who allow their kids to play skinner box centric games.

In unrelated news the Pope was spotted in a catholic chuch.

 

[Farther than stars]

But unless Smurfette pops out of the game and offers to give you blowjobs for the next month, do your laundry, and cook your meals, $99 for ANYTHING in a game is just fucking ridiculous.

I get the feeling that if that were the case, these parents would have bigger issues than figuring out a parental lock.

 

[Comando96]

Well, if it is a problem with addiction then maybe it's time fo some additional legislation conrcerning these types of games. You know, the same way it's against the law for minors to be gambling.

Good luck enforcing that law.

I wouldn't make it illegal as thats just stupid an unenforceable and removes all responsibility from the company in question and to the parents. I would stick a different minium age rating on a game which has skinner box tactics as well as any game with an in game purchase system.

 

[Pipotchi]

Parents should pay more attention to what their kids are doing online instead of using technology as a babysitter.

No sympathy.

My thoughts exactly, dont give your kids access to anything that has real money attached, the same way you dont let your kids on Steam/Amazon with all your CC details saved.

It a stupid game and $99 is insane but pay attention to what your kids are up to?

 

[RJ 17]

But unless Smurfette pops out of the game and offers to give you blowjobs for the next month, do your laundry, and cook your meals, $99 for ANYTHING in a game is just fucking ridiculous.

I get the feeling that if that were the case, these parents would have bigger issues than figuring out a parental lock.

touche, a very valid point. But still, if I'm dropping $99 frickin' dollars to buy an in-game item, it had better at least come with a handjob from the developer. :3

 

[Farther than stars]

Well, if it is a problem with addiction then maybe it's time fo some additional legislation conrcerning these types of games. You know, the same way it's against the law for minors to be gambling.

Good luck enforcing that law.

I wouldn't make it illegal as thats just stupid an unenforceable and removes all responsibility from the company in question and to the parents. I would stick a different minium age rating on a game which has skinner box tactics as well as any game with an in game purchase system.

That's virtually exactly the same thing I said, but instead of using the 18+ sticker, you're opening it up to all the age-requirement classifications, meaning you need to get an organization like the ESRB in on it to rate the games.

 

[Unsilenced]

Usually I'm all on the side of "parents need to stop being incompetent pricks," but this... this is a class of its own. It's a game marketed for kids with an option to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars at the click of a button. There's a problem there.

Was there any indication that one password was all that stood between a kid and a $1400 smurfberry bill? Because that's kind of insane. Kids aren't stupid, they can figure out a password if that's all it asks for, nevermind the perfectly legitimate reasons they might need to be told it.

 

[Lugbzurg]

This is quickly reminding me of another point of ignorant, idiotic "parenting".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqUuHR8vj_8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML_1FkN3ENc

Not to mention, bashing Sony for a game that has "VALVE" printed boldly on the front of the box.

 

[thethird0611]

I really hope this passes through the courts successfully. Seriously, this is manipulation at its best. "Oh, micro-transactions help us make the game free." Yeah, well a $99, $50, or even $25 dollar transaction is worse than free. Your trying to manipulate people to throw money away for non-existent items.

Also, a little note, im not 100% sure if a Skinner box applies here like some people think. Havent took learning and conditioning yet though. If I remember, a Skinner box rewards you for pressing a button, then you have to press it twice, then three times, then four. The game play may do that, but the micro transactions just prey on human compulsion.

 

[Comando96]

That's virtually exactly the same thing I said, but instead of using the 18+ sticker, you're opening it up to all the age-requirement classifications, meaning you need to get an organization like the ESRB in on it to rate the games.

You said legislation and there is no legislation for the US where this case is being heard, due to the fact as you know you apparently cannot ban 10 year olds buying games with an 18 sticker on it... only company policy can (which most companies do).

The fact Apple and the app owners have updated the situation so that it is clear when purchases are real and adding an option to not allow the purchases is enough in my opinion.

It says in the article itself that the thing the parents don't like is the skinner box tactics and... you can't legislate against that in any way shape or form as it covers too wide a group of games.

Flash games on the internet commonly employ skinner box tactics but these websites don't charge for games, they rely on advertising revenue... its a silly thing to legislate against as its not legislations place, however cooperation with groups like ESRB would be the better and more sensible aim.

 

[Eamar]

The lawsuit is bullshit and won't go anywhere etc etc.

However, I think some people are being a bit harsh on (some of the) parents. I totally worked out my parents' passwords for stuff when I was a kid, either by (often accidentally) watching them type it in or just through educated guesses. My parents, like many, are not great with technology. They type slowly and use obvious (to someone who knows them) passwords. Now, I never personally abused my ill-gotten knowledge in monetary terms, though I may have sneaked looks at email and Amazon accounts to see what I was getting for Christmas...

My point is, these parents aren't necessarily incompetent at parenting, just at using technology

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Parents should pay more attention to what their kids are doing online instead of using technology as a babysitter.

No sympathy.

My thoughts exactly, dont give your kids access to anything that has real money attached, the same way you dont let your kids on Steam/Amazon with all your CC details saved.

It a stupid game and $99 is insane but pay attention to what your kids are up to?

Allow me to third this. I've never understood parents who let little kids play with their fragile, overpriced smartphones, especially when the games in question have microtransactions. Get your kids a DS, or if you can't afford that, spend the $10 or so on a second hand Gameboy Advance. If they're young enough for this kind of thing to be a mistake, instead of a knowing theft of their parents money, they're young enough to not realize just how outdated the GBA is.

 

[dyre]

I don't blame the parents' for not knowing that their kids could easily use their accounts to buy loads of shit. One would expect there were some more precautions to that. But geez, one would think that most parents ought to teach their kids not to waste that amount of money on games...