South Korea Reviews FTC's In-Play Purchase Clauses – Variety

The Fair Trade Commission in South Korea will conduct a review of consumer practices of gaming companies. She contacted 10 companies, including Nexon, Blizzard and Riot Games, on Friday, according to The Korea Herald.

The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is interested in in-game purchases on PC and mobile games. One of the concerns concerns in particular the clauses enacted by the game companies concerning the purchase of minors in the game.

"Some reports suggest that it may be easier for people to get their purchases back in the game if they can prove that their children have used credit cards without authorization," said one representative of the FTC at the Korea Herald. "But if a minor user is actively cheating on parents, it's for kids. If a minor spends more than the legally authorized amount of 70,000 won (US $ 62) a month, he will be held responsible.

Some games also indicate that "parents must get approval from their parents when they register for a game – a de facto parental consent," according to The Korea Herald.

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The FTC conducts investigations based on an internal decision or when enough consumers report problems so further investigation is required. The way in-game purchases are regulated, including gift items, raises other concerns. Some items offered have an unreasonably short repayment period, or a consumer can not get a refund on a purchase offered even if the recipient did not accept the gift, for example.

The FTC representative stated that the commission considered these policies unfair and that after review, the video game companies could voluntarily modify them or could be forced to do so.

In the United States, similar concerns have been expressed regarding the purchase of in-game items by children. Earlier this year, Facebook was criticized for creating a system in which children spent tens of millions of dollars worth of money from their parents for their games.

The United States Federal Trade Commission will hold a public workshop in August to examine the boxes, after growing concerns about how they are sold to consumers. In particular, the purchase of video game boxes, containing an badortment of random foods in the game that were revealed only after purchase, raises concerns about the game and seduces young players.