BBC News have published an article about four children who spent nearly £550 in three weeks buying player packs to play the FIFA football video game online on the family’s Nintendo Switch console.
The children’s father, Thomas Carter, had bought them a single pack for around £8, and had not realised that his children had seen how he made the purchase.
“You pay £40 for the game, which is a lot of money in itself, but then the only way to get a great team is essentially by gambling,” he said, referring to online play. “They spent £550 and they still never got their favourite player, Lionel Messi.”
Mr Carter’s children felt very remorseful and had not understood the impact of what they were doing. All four children were under the age of ten and while Fifa 19 has been certified as suitable for players from the age of three, the question remains: at what age do we teach children about microtransactions?
He and his wife only realised what had happened when their card was declined elsewhere because their bank account was empty. However, in an rare twist when it comes to stories about microtransactions, Nintendo agreed to completely refund the Carter family although they did not respond when approached by the BBC for further comment.
You can read the original article here.