TIGA, the trade association representing the UK games industry and partner of Train2Game, has said that it intends to discuss with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) the potential for producing a set of best practice guidelines for developers and digital publishers to follow when developing Free To Play (FTP) games.
TIGA said that the OFT should work towards a global approach to the FTP market; platform holders such as Google, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo should introduce a ‘children’s category’ in their online stores with specific protections for minors; and that all FTP games should promote payment transparency.
TIGA made the comments as part of its submission of evidence to the OFT’s investigation into “whether children are being unfairly pressured or encouraged to pay for additional content in ‘free’ web and app-based games”. The OFT began its investigation in April and will publish its conclusions in October 2013.
TIGA made the following recommendations in its submission of evidence to the OFT:
- Global approach: the UK’s mobile and online games developers represent a small fraction of the global FTP development industry. If UK consumers are to be effectively protected then the OFT should work with its counterparts in the EU, the USA and across the globe to adopt a common approach to the FTP market.
- Platform holders should introduce a ‘children’s’ category: platform holders should follow Apple’s lead and have a ‘children’s’ category in their online stores. Games within this category could have daily in-app purchase (IAP) limits, thereby protecting children from accidentally making high volumes of IAP. Parents could then ensure that their children only play games from this category. Platform holders could enforce safeguards for children. Developers could elect whether to submit their games for inclusion in a children’s category.
- Payment transparency: all FTP games should state unambiguously whether they contain IAP or other forms of optional additional payment. Currently, there is inconsistency in the way in which this is presented to consumers. Some platforms (e.g. Apple’s App Store) and some developers indicate the potential for IAP and other optional payment, but others do not. Developers should also provide brief and clear information on the nature of the IAP specific to their games (e.g. whether IAP will speed up the game).
- Information for parents: parents should have access to information that can enable them to prevent accidental payments. All major smartphone and tablet platforms and app stores contain parental and/or payment controls that can be used to block all accidental purchases whether these are paid downloads or in-app purchases. Parents need to be made aware of these controls.
- Enabling Innovation: Any measures adopted by the OFT as a result of its investigation should continue to enable the games development sector to adapt, change and innovate while also protecting the consumer.
- Best practice guidelines: TIGA intends to discuss with the OFT the potential for drafting and promoting a set of best practice guidelines for developers and digital publishers to follow. This will enable them to develop FTP games on different platforms while adhering at all times to applicable laws and best practices, including the Consumer Protection (from Unfair Trading) Regulations 2008.
Dr Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO, said:
“The FTP model is typically excellent value for consumers and could be described as a ‘pay what you want or nothing’ model: 95 per cent of players in a typical FTP game will play the game for free. Yet it is vital that the FTP games model provides clear protection for gamers, particularly children. TIGA therefore plans to discuss with the OFT and other interested parties the production of best practice guidelines to enable developers and digital publishers to develop sustainable FTP games on different platforms while adhering at all times to applicable laws and best procedures.”
Oli Christie, TIGA board member and CEO of Neon Play, said:
“FTP gaming has changed the landscape of gaming around the world, but with players and children occasionally having issues with unintentional in-app purchases, it’s clear the industry needs to look at this more closely and see how players get what they want and aren’t misled. With TIGA and the OFT working together, we can hopefully come to some best practices for the industry to follow. The future is free, but it doesn’t mean it should cost the industry its hard-fought reputation.”
