Popular video games are using "harmful" tactics to keep kids gaming for longer, a new report has found. Researchers from CPRC and Monash University — who authored the report — looked at 20 "dark patterns" which they say deceived and manipulated gamers. The Consumer Policy Research Centre wants the federal government to create an independent body that would adjudicate complaints, called a digital ombudsman.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Merrick Wolski escapes into sensory overload using the gaming platform Roblox, but he's
00:09worried some gameplay feels like gambling.
00:12Rolling dice and depending on your luck you get different pets.
00:16The 17-year-old buys Roblox's virtual currency for a chance to win.
00:21I get a 0.01% chance to get a good drop.
00:25This is gambling without limits and real manipulation.
00:30A new report examined design features which manipulate gamers known as dark patterns.
00:36Almost all of the players surveyed had encountered them and the most common were free games with
00:41ads or paid features known as freemiums, hidden costs and redirections or pop-up ads.
00:49More than half of players had their privacy compromised and left games feeling annoyed.
00:54Almost 50% suffered financial loss.
00:58We've heard from people who've spent hundreds of dollars or thousands of dollars more than
01:02they've intended to.
01:0511-year-old Yo-Yo is also an avid Roblox user but gets frustrated with pop-up ads.
01:12I can't zoom out and click the X button to ignore it and I have to leave the game.
01:18Oh, did it just go?
01:20Researchers found Australia's classification system has serious limitations because games
01:26are getting around restrictions on gambling-like content.
01:29It has to look like a casino.
01:32Whereas a lot of these games, they might have different cute animated features but they work
01:36exactly like gambling.
01:38Despite Merrick's experience, Roblox maintains it takes action on unacceptable content and
01:44games must disclose the odds of winning or losing.