how to stop them from spending money uncontrollably

The video game industry has become, By far the biggest money mover in the entertainment worldsurpassing the film and music industries. In Europe, it is not uncommon to see people of all ages having a game installed on their smartphone or tablet.

It’s partly thanks to mobile gaming that the industry has grown so much. After all, to play video games in console format It is necessary to have one or a sufficiently powerful computer want to move the titles you want to play. In the case of mobile games, the barrier to entry established by the device on which to play is not so great, since in the end practically everyone has a smartphone.

This makes that there are a large number of titles to play on mobile, and these can be of different kinds. There are free and paid alternatives, and there are times when the first time can be very dangerous, especially for the little ones.

Logically, creators of free-to-play games also seek compensation for their work and creativity, and so most of these titles feature microtransactions. Basically, it’s the ability to purchase an in-game item with real money This helps you progress faster. In some cases, these are concrete elements, and in other cases “loot boxes“which are random and will soon be limited.

It is about something quite common in free gamesbecause the fact that you don’t have to pay to download them makes them more attractive to the public. This way, downloading and trying it is something accessible to everyone, even if they won’t buy any element of the game later, but it allows the creators to attract an audience that could pay in the future.

Pay to win

This is the term by which we actually know this type of video game, which has become very popular on smartphones, and less so on consoles or computers. Most of them They usually follow a common strategy when engaging users..

It is quite common to find ads for mobile games on social networks. In them, users usually see how someone controls the game, usually quite badly, and how he loses a relatively easy level. The most common thing is that these games are to some extent satisfactory and with a quick return.

Once the user has downloaded the game to test it, they will be able to play fairly continuously and with few interruptions beyond the occasional advertisements that appear. During this stage, progress is extremely rapid.giving the user that feeling of winning and moving forward that is so appreciated when playing a video game.

However, there always comes a breaking point where this progress comes to an abrupt halt. This can produce a feeling of frustration in some players, and even more so after seeing that so far they have been able to move forward with ease and with relative speed. This is when users are expected to pay, and this is where you have to be especially careful with the smaller ones.

Stop your children from spending

Many cases have come to light in which children, using their parents’ mobile phones, have spent large sums of money to buy credits for video games on their mobile phones, and This is something that can be avoided relatively simply.. To begin, you need to configure security so that Google asks for the password every time you want to make a purchase with the account.

This way, no one will be able to make a transaction without entering the account password or using biometric login. For this You will need to go to Google Play and then navigate to the settings section and enable the verification request when making payments in the app. This means that if at any time a payment is made within a game, it will be by consensus and with the approval of the parents, and not because the child took the mobile phone without permission.

It’s worth it too breaking the spear in favor of paid video games found on Android. These have an entry cost to be able to play, but in most cases they do not have in-game micropayments that help users advance, making progression in the game more leveled and fair.

In any case, it is always important to talk to your children about it to make them aware of the subject and establish certain rules regarding video games. Micropayments, in themselves, are not necessarily bad, and there are games, such as Fortnite or Rocket League, in which they only unlock aesthetic elements and do not help in any way to win games. However, it is not advisable that the immediate return that these types of practices offer is usual, so the rules can be of great help.