Originally posted by MikePaladin OMG we needed this so much !!!! Hope this is cure pill for MMO industy because they wont be able to face roll people with their fake models maybe now they will focus on Quality instead if quantity. This is some great news!
You didn't actually read the article did you?
To all those who think this is the start of something, even if this were about MMOs (which it isn't) restricting the use of the word "Free" isn't going to kill off a payment model. This is a baby step towards absolutely nothing.
I disagree.
I think this could be the start of some much needed regulation.
I understand this is for mobile apps- But hope this is a small step towards establishing some regulation and rules regarding virtual goods and services.
-You are probably correct in the short term, nothing changes. But something needs to happen- The gaming industry has practices which would be unacceptable in any other industry and its growing worse and worse.
It depends on the regulations. Regulations over marketing or how microtransactions are displayed or payed for in game are fine by me. All game companies (including P2P and B2P companies) should be upfront about what they are and aren't going to charge for.
But, it opens the door for harsher regulations. Regulations on how much a company can charger for items, or regulations on how much a person can spend are not good things. The problem is that these are the type of company killing regulations many people want.
Regulations kill games too.
-Thats why Casinos are doing terrible?
These games can be likened to casinos. casinos are more highly regulated than ever before and yet there are more and more popping up in every city and state which allows them.
Regulation ensures the integrity of the game- In this case we need regulation as many of these games (especially 'F2P') are essentially virtual casinos with real cash being used for virtual rewards. These items are made very cheaply and sold as many times as a button is pressed with little to no overhead and a huge profit margin (and did I mention- No oversight?)
-Regulation is NOT going to kill an industry this profitable. If it does , then it needs to die. If you think games will stop being made due to regulation I think you watch far too television. If some of these "evil" companies go bottom up- They will be replaced with a far fairer model that works.
These games can be likened to casinos. casinos are more highly regulated than ever before and yet there are more and more popping up in every city and state which allows them.
Regulation ensures the integrity of the game- In this case we need regulation as many of these games (especially 'F2P') are essentially virtual casinos with real cash being used for virtual rewards. These items are made very cheaply and sold as many times as a button is pressed with little to no overhead and a huge profit margin (and did I mention- No oversight?)
-Regulation is NOT going to kill an industry this profitable. If it does , then it needs to die. If you think games will stop being made due to regulation I think you watch far too television. If some of these "evil" companies go bottom up- They will be replaced with a far fairer model that works.
Yes. They are exactly like casinos. I know that every time I've logged into a F2P game a hot waitress in a low cut top has shown up next to my computer and proceeded to give me free alcohol until I lose all my money.
Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me.
So they'll advertise them as micro-priced or something which emphasizes how low each individual transaction is. This seems like it would do some good in its intent to stop companies from going after people's wallets through their children so easily.
I like how so many here are quibbling about how if you can play the game at all for free then it is free and entirely missing the point of the commission's statement about how it's how much of the game is free which matters. If you can only play a portion of a game for free, then the game isn't free, only the portion you can play without paying is. This isn't a difficult concept to understand.
I don't know which I dislike more - EU that is trying to regulate everything or f2p games. Guess the winner is EU because I can avoid f2p crap but cannot avoid EU without moving from my country.
Originally posted by MikePaladin OMG we needed this so much !!!! Hope this is cure pill for MMO industy because they wont be able to face roll people with their fake models maybe now they will focus on Quality instead if quantity. This is some great news!
You didn't actually read the article did you?
To all those who think this is the start of something, even if this were about MMOs (which it isn't) restricting the use of the word "Free" isn't going to kill off a payment model. This is a baby step towards absolutely nothing.
I disagree.
I think this could be the start of some much needed regulation.
I understand this is for mobile apps- But hope this is a small step towards establishing some regulation and rules regarding virtual goods and services.
-You are probably correct in the short term, nothing changes. But something needs to happen- The gaming industry has practices which would be unacceptable in any other industry and its growing worse and worse.
It depends on the regulations. Regulations over marketing or how microtransactions are displayed or payed for in game are fine by me. All game companies (including P2P and B2P companies) should be upfront about what they are and aren't going to charge for.
But, it opens the door for harsher regulations. Regulations on how much a company can charger for items, or regulations on how much a person can spend are not good things. The problem is that these are the type of company killing regulations many people want.
Only in the mind of a true free market believer, a randian utopist, could regulation on advertisement be viewed as a possible slippery slope to the government soon regulating the pricing of the product as well. That is paranoia, nothing else, and has no basis on reality.
Advertising is regulated all the time. Times change and laws have to change too from time to time, and additions must be made.
Although people have quite naturally focused on the ftp mmo area here, there are several newspaper and other media articles covering this story in the UK.
These detail more specifically the target of these discussions - a typical one is copied in below:
The European Commission is to hold talks with Apple, Google, and app writers, saying consumers need better protection against “unexpected costs” from in-app purchases on tablets and smartphones which can rack up bills of thousands of pounds.
There have been several high profile cases of children spending hundreds of pounds on these phone games, although of course the question that most people would ask is - why where they given what appears to be an open ended credit resource that allowed them to do this...
These games can be likened to casinos. casinos are more highly regulated than ever before and yet there are more and more popping up in every city and state which allows them.
Regulation ensures the integrity of the game- In this case we need regulation as many of these games (especially 'F2P') are essentially virtual casinos with real cash being used for virtual rewards. These items are made very cheaply and sold as many times as a button is pressed with little to no overhead and a huge profit margin (and did I mention- No oversight?)
-Regulation is NOT going to kill an industry this profitable. If it does , then it needs to die. If you think games will stop being made due to regulation I think you watch far too television. If some of these "evil" companies go bottom up- They will be replaced with a far fairer model that works.
With the exception of actual gambling items, like chance lockboxes, F2P games are nothing like Casinos. When I make a purchase I know exactly what I'm getting, that is not at all gambling.
Whats so bad about a large profit margin? Why should a F2P game not be allowed to make as much money as it can? Should there be a regulation to stop me from walking into GameStop and purchasing every single thing they have for sale, spending thousands of dollars in the process? If not, then why must a F2P game regulate how much a player can spend, should it not be up to the consumer?
No, regulation won't kill a highly profitable industry, but it will kill small, regulation abiding businesses that have no chance at competing against large, "evil" corporations that can lobby their way around regulations.
-My likening F2P games like casino was in reference to the lockboxes, surprise packs (with chance to win X item) etc. I have no problem with virtual item sales (at any price) but again, with regulation. This includes some form of ownership rights and being able to replace if defective/not working. Right now we own nothing, nothing is guaranteed to work and there are never replacements and exchanges- Even a chargeback on a defective product usually would men the company taking your account and all your other items- Again, basic regulation is needed here.
-Nothing bad at all about a large profit margin. I think what they charge (and what you pay) is fine. That is in the realm of free market...
The smaller indies seem to be the ones who are doing it right without need for regulation.
I am rallying for consumer protection- Period. Which is why I think this is a good start. Personally the semantics of "F2P" are unimportant by themselves but this is the start of regulating a very predatory industry which will be good for everyone. Business will survive and adapt. The profit margin in virtual goods is inane right now- And they are doing everything they can to become more and more profitable using every legal avenue and lobbying with the tons of cash they have selling virtual goods.
EDIT- I keep saying "selling" virtual goods which is not correct. renting them (since you own nothing) is more appropriate.
Originally posted by MikePaladin OMG we needed this so much !!!! Hope this is cure pill for MMO industy because they wont be able to face roll people with their fake models maybe now they will focus on Quality instead if quantity. This is some great news!
You didn't actually read the article did you?
To all those who think this is the start of something, even if this were about MMOs (which it isn't) restricting the use of the word "Free" isn't going to kill off a payment model. This is a baby step towards absolutely nothing.
I disagree.
I think this could be the start of some much needed regulation.
I understand this is for mobile apps- But hope this is a small step towards establishing some regulation and rules regarding virtual goods and services.
-You are probably correct in the short term, nothing changes. But something needs to happen- The gaming industry has practices which would be unacceptable in any other industry and its growing worse and worse.
It depends on the regulations. Regulations over marketing or how microtransactions are displayed or payed for in game are fine by me. All game companies (including P2P and B2P companies) should be upfront about what they are and aren't going to charge for.
But, it opens the door for harsher regulations. Regulations on how much a company can charger for items, or regulations on how much a person can spend are not good things. The problem is that these are the type of company killing regulations many people want.
Regulations kill games too.
-Thats why Casinos are doing terrible?
These games can be likened to casinos. casinos are more highly regulated than ever before and yet there are more and more popping up in every city and state which allows them.
Regulation ensures the integrity of the game- In this case we need regulation as many of these games (especially 'F2P') are essentially virtual casinos with real cash being used for virtual rewards. These items are made very cheaply and sold as many times as a button is pressed with little to no overhead and a huge profit margin (and did I mention- No oversight?)
-Regulation is NOT going to kill an industry this profitable. If it does , then it needs to die. If you think games will stop being made due to regulation I think you watch far too television. If some of these "evil" companies go bottom up- They will be replaced with a far fairer model that works.
I was referring to developers regulating their players behavior has a similar effect.
As far as government oversight? Competition should fix it. If not regulation ,then Im sure everyone will get their piece of the pie.
"If the Damned gave you a roadmap, then you'd know just where to go"
Only in the mind of a true free market believer, a randian utopist, could regulation on advertisement be viewed as a possible slippery slope to the government soon regulating the pricing of the product as well. That is paranoia, nothing else, and has no basis on reality.
Advertising is regulated all the time. Times change and laws have to change too from time to time, and additions must be made.
There is a difference between regulating advertising that is actually dishonest, and regulating a term like "free to play" which would only be understood to mean "free" by a drooling incompetent who probably shouldn't be allowed to make any decisions for himself.
Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me.
I am showing a free 90 minute film, after 60 minutes I walk around the cinema and charge everyone $15 to watch the last 30 minutes...
That's "free to view" (some of the content).
Comparing that to a game is difficult - games are a non-linear format, and your definition of 'last 30 minutes' will vary.
The comparable aspect is the core 'con', that a customer starts using your product believing it is free, and when hooked is informed of the charge(s) to continue using the product.
Anyway, I don't see a problem with adding a warning, especially for mobile games that are frequently played by children.
Originally posted by Tygranir Wait a minute... If you can log into a game and play (regardless of how much content you can play) for free.... how is that not Free to play? You are playing for free!
I doubt this will affect games like Star Trek Online and the like. You can enjoy them without investing a single cent.
Recently i installed a free to play game on my android tablet that asks for in in app purchase after level 2.
That's nothing but a demo version!
The problem is that everyone hops on the F2P train and some titles are simply not free at all anymore.
I'm a little bit undetermined whether to like or not to like this attempt to regulate the usage of the term "free 2 play" in marketing.
In Germany, from time to time a TV show called Frontal 21 reports about children that got hooked by F2P games and then use mommys and daddys credit card to purchase stuff for their F2P game. I'm a firm believer that in such cases it is the parents fault, because they did not follow their legal duty of supervision.
However, I also think that the term F2P is used inflationary. Yes, most F2P games can be downloaded and played for free, but in most F2P games you quickly reach a point that makes purchases neccessary and these purchases are usually cost intensive. Now imagine a child was playing such a game. Lured, hooked, frustrated by artificial slow down, grabs moms and dads credit card, boom. Damage done.
Children can easily be impressed and influenced by certain terminology. The term free 2 play and some blinky blinky pictures are enough to get their attention. And finally when the kid reaches the point that makes payment necessary to proceed in the game easy payment methods such as pay by sms, pay by phone or by credit card are offered.
I think I'm for this regulation. It doesn't really hurt the games industry. Marketers will quickly adapt.
You need to think beyond the box here. This new regulation is more focused on those kids mobile phone apps than it is on mmorpgs. A lot of these so called "free" apps have major costs once you get inside the game itself.
Pretty much like how coffee now needs a warning stating be careful this may be hot and a bag of peanuts the warning "this may contain nuts".
There are genuine free products out there and the consumers needs to be able to tell a truly free product from one which demands a cash flow before you can fully enable the game/application.
Gotta revise my comment from above. Apparently the EU commission wants to get rid of the "free" term from every title that offers anything for cash wich includes all F2P titles.
I think the real problem of so called "Free to play" games, especially all those viscious, cheap app-store games is this: there is some stuff free, but the entire game is built around making a CONTINUAL PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE against the player, trying his patience with day long wait schedules and then "pay here to get it done now". The viscious Zynga type games like Farmville and their lots. They are nothing less than addicting people, psycho-war to program the player like in a Skinnerbox to put more and more money into a system by undermining his will. They are not free games with minor stuff to buy, like GW2 is. GW2 is perfectly fine. They are rip offs with barely a true free part, but a barebone functionality and constantly pressuring the gamer to buy by psychologically well known methods.
They are evil, and if they were forbidden entirely I wouldn't shed a single tear for this sort of rip off scam pseudo-gaming!
The EU doesn't even want to forbid any of these (alas!), but merely disallow them for calling themselves "free".
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." Vulgo: Don't lie.
-God
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
I think the real problem of so called "Free to play" games, especially all those viscious, cheap app-store games is this: there is some stuff free, but the entire game is built around making a CONTINUAL PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE against the player, trying his patience with day long wait schedules and then "pay here to get it done now". The viscious Zynga type games like Farmville and their lots. They are nothing less than addicting people, psycho-war to program the player like in a Skinnerbox to put more and more money into a system by undermining his will. They are not free games with minor stuff to buy, like GW2 is. GW2 is perfectly fine. They are rip offs with barely a true free part, but a barebone functionality and constantly pressuring the gamer to buy by psychologically well known methods.
They are evil, and if they were forbidden entirely I wouldn't shed a single tear for this sort of rip off scam pseudo-gaming!
The EU doesn't even want to forbid any of these (alas!), but merely disallow them for calling themselves "free".
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." Vulgo: Don't lie.
-God
GW2 is not a free to play game (F2P). It is a buy to play game (B2P). You have to pay for the box in order to play.
And lets keep away from ancient obscure fictional texts when talking about legislation.
I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been-Wayne Gretzky
There are four types of so called "Free 2 Play" games.
A) Completely free to play Free to play with boosts from in-app purchases but still playable without spending any money. C) Free to play with boosts from in-app purchases but still playable without spending any money. But due the construction of the game free players will fall back off so horribly so that it is necessary for them to pay a lot of stuff just to be able to keep up. D) Free to play till a specific requirement is meet then you will be enforced to pay for unlocking further stuff or to advance further. (Can also be called a sort of demo)
I do assume that the EU will protect the customers from games type C and D stating that they are free to play but they are in reality not. But the statement of the EU will also affect games of the typus B, which can be played really for free and people are not enforced to pay anything.
Another thing is with games of typus D where it is clearly stated that it is only for free till a clearly stated limit is reached and that is a requirement to pay if you want to advance further.
In the type C games you can find many of the facebook games or asia grinder MMORPGs.
As someone already stated I guess it is more about games like My Free Zoo, Farmville & co, which bait especially younger people by restricting content, or making times so long the impatience of kids and youth kicks in so they spent money, perhaps even without permission of mom and dad. At least that's what I read in articles about that subject. MMOs are less of a target, but might be hit due to the F2P term from their side, too.
The EU wants to protect me against cashgrab-apps by making their declaration with the product more distinct and people complain about that?You guys are the reason my generation wants to die young, seriously.
You already have that protection. It's called You. You choose what to play. You choose what to spend money on. You take responsibility for your choices. You are the first, last and only protection you need.
If you cannot/will not protect yourself from something as unimportant as video games; heaven help you. You're not long for this world.
Oh goody, more useless and unnecessary regulation to protect those who lack common sense and / or have an IQ lower than the average men's shoe size.
This is the equivalent of outlawing giveaways on sites like this one because the 'free' item doesn't include the cost of internet bandwidth needed to claim it. It's completely unnecessary and it will snowball to encompass other things, as all government regulation is wont to do.
AN' DERE AIN'T NO SUCH FING AS ENUFF DAKKA, YA GROT! Enuff'z more than ya got an' less than too much an' there ain't no such fing as too much dakka. Say dere is, and me Squiggoff'z eatin' tonight!
We are born of the blood. Made men by the blood. Undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open. FEAR THE OLD BLOOD.
Rift will keep the label in EU - as it is really free to play in its entirety.
Is there the possibility of making a purchase from within the game? If so, then it's not "Free".
**
This sounds a lot more like it's aimed at the mobile market, not desktop MMORPGs, though desktop MMORPGs are going to get caught in the same net. It stems from people buying things without meaning to, mostly children. Think, shiny upgrade buttons without a double check on purchases. It would be like handing Google Play to a child, without having the password check on purchases.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
Comments
-Thats why Casinos are doing terrible?
These games can be likened to casinos. casinos are more highly regulated than ever before and yet there are more and more popping up in every city and state which allows them.
Regulation ensures the integrity of the game- In this case we need regulation as many of these games (especially 'F2P') are essentially virtual casinos with real cash being used for virtual rewards. These items are made very cheaply and sold as many times as a button is pressed with little to no overhead and a huge profit margin (and did I mention- No oversight?)
-Regulation is NOT going to kill an industry this profitable. If it does , then it needs to die. If you think games will stop being made due to regulation I think you watch far too television. If some of these "evil" companies go bottom up- They will be replaced with a far fairer model that works.
Yes. They are exactly like casinos. I know that every time I've logged into a F2P game a hot waitress in a low cut top has shown up next to my computer and proceeded to give me free alcohol until I lose all my money.
Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me.
So they'll advertise them as micro-priced or something which emphasizes how low each individual transaction is. This seems like it would do some good in its intent to stop companies from going after people's wallets through their children so easily.
I like how so many here are quibbling about how if you can play the game at all for free then it is free and entirely missing the point of the commission's statement about how it's how much of the game is free which matters. If you can only play a portion of a game for free, then the game isn't free, only the portion you can play without paying is. This isn't a difficult concept to understand.
Only in the mind of a true free market believer, a randian utopist, could regulation on advertisement be viewed as a possible slippery slope to the government soon regulating the pricing of the product as well. That is paranoia, nothing else, and has no basis on reality.
Advertising is regulated all the time. Times change and laws have to change too from time to time, and additions must be made.
The Weekly Wizardry blog
Although people have quite naturally focused on the ftp mmo area here, there are several newspaper and other media articles covering this story in the UK.
These detail more specifically the target of these discussions - a typical one is copied in below:
The European Commission is to hold talks with Apple, Google, and app writers, saying consumers need better protection against “unexpected costs” from in-app purchases on tablets and smartphones which can rack up bills of thousands of pounds.
There have been several high profile cases of children spending hundreds of pounds on these phone games, although of course the question that most people would ask is - why where they given what appears to be an open ended credit resource that allowed them to do this...
-My likening F2P games like casino was in reference to the lockboxes, surprise packs (with chance to win X item) etc. I have no problem with virtual item sales (at any price) but again, with regulation. This includes some form of ownership rights and being able to replace if defective/not working. Right now we own nothing, nothing is guaranteed to work and there are never replacements and exchanges- Even a chargeback on a defective product usually would men the company taking your account and all your other items- Again, basic regulation is needed here.
-Nothing bad at all about a large profit margin. I think what they charge (and what you pay) is fine. That is in the realm of free market...
The smaller indies seem to be the ones who are doing it right without need for regulation.
I am rallying for consumer protection- Period. Which is why I think this is a good start. Personally the semantics of "F2P" are unimportant by themselves but this is the start of regulating a very predatory industry which will be good for everyone. Business will survive and adapt. The profit margin in virtual goods is inane right now- And they are doing everything they can to become more and more profitable using every legal avenue and lobbying with the tons of cash they have selling virtual goods.
EDIT- I keep saying "selling" virtual goods which is not correct. renting them (since you own nothing) is more appropriate.
I was referring to developers regulating their players behavior has a similar effect.
As far as government oversight? Competition should fix it. If not regulation ,then Im sure everyone will get their piece of the pie.
"If the Damned gave you a roadmap, then you'd know just where to go"
I think this deals mostly with phone and iOS games that are supposedly free to play but hide content behind big paywalls.
Like: "You have to wait 10 hours to access the next portion of the game or you have to pay up now", etc.
Which is a completely fair critique. Some of those paywalls are also found in MMO's in lesser degrees, so perhaps we'll see some crossover from this.
Feel free to use my referral link for SW:TOR if you want to test out the game. You'll get some special unlocks!
There is a difference between regulating advertising that is actually dishonest, and regulating a term like "free to play" which would only be understood to mean "free" by a drooling incompetent who probably shouldn't be allowed to make any decisions for himself.
Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me.
I am showing a free 90 minute film, after 60 minutes I walk around the cinema and charge everyone $15 to watch the last 30 minutes...
That's "free to view" (some of the content).
Comparing that to a game is difficult - games are a non-linear format, and your definition of 'last 30 minutes' will vary.
The comparable aspect is the core 'con', that a customer starts using your product believing it is free, and when hooked is informed of the charge(s) to continue using the product.
Anyway, I don't see a problem with adding a warning, especially for mobile games that are frequently played by children.
I doubt this will affect games like Star Trek Online and the like. You can enjoy them without investing a single cent.
Recently i installed a free to play game on my android tablet that asks for in in app purchase after level 2.
That's nothing but a demo version!
The problem is that everyone hops on the F2P train and some titles are simply not free at all anymore.
I'm a little bit undetermined whether to like or not to like this attempt to regulate the usage of the term "free 2 play" in marketing.
In Germany, from time to time a TV show called Frontal 21 reports about children that got hooked by F2P games and then use mommys and daddys credit card to purchase stuff for their F2P game. I'm a firm believer that in such cases it is the parents fault, because they did not follow their legal duty of supervision.
However, I also think that the term F2P is used inflationary. Yes, most F2P games can be downloaded and played for free, but in most F2P games you quickly reach a point that makes purchases neccessary and these purchases are usually cost intensive. Now imagine a child was playing such a game. Lured, hooked, frustrated by artificial slow down, grabs moms and dads credit card, boom. Damage done.
Children can easily be impressed and influenced by certain terminology. The term free 2 play and some blinky blinky pictures are enough to get their attention. And finally when the kid reaches the point that makes payment necessary to proceed in the game easy payment methods such as pay by sms, pay by phone or by credit card are offered.
I think I'm for this regulation. It doesn't really hurt the games industry. Marketers will quickly adapt.
You need to think beyond the box here. This new regulation is more focused on those kids mobile phone apps than it is on mmorpgs. A lot of these so called "free" apps have major costs once you get inside the game itself.
Pretty much like how coffee now needs a warning stating be careful this may be hot and a bag of peanuts the warning "this may contain nuts".
There are genuine free products out there and the consumers needs to be able to tell a truly free product from one which demands a cash flow before you can fully enable the game/application.
Gotta revise my comment from above. Apparently the EU commission wants to get rid of the "free" term from every title that offers anything for cash wich includes all F2P titles.
It is a good move though. I totally support it.
I think the real problem of so called "Free to play" games, especially all those viscious, cheap app-store games is this: there is some stuff free, but the entire game is built around making a CONTINUAL PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE against the player, trying his patience with day long wait schedules and then "pay here to get it done now". The viscious Zynga type games like Farmville and their lots. They are nothing less than addicting people, psycho-war to program the player like in a Skinnerbox to put more and more money into a system by undermining his will. They are not free games with minor stuff to buy, like GW2 is. GW2 is perfectly fine. They are rip offs with barely a true free part, but a barebone functionality and constantly pressuring the gamer to buy by psychologically well known methods.
They are evil, and if they were forbidden entirely I wouldn't shed a single tear for this sort of rip off scam pseudo-gaming!
The EU doesn't even want to forbid any of these (alas!), but merely disallow them for calling themselves "free".
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." Vulgo: Don't lie.
-God
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
GW2 is not a free to play game (F2P). It is a buy to play game (B2P). You have to pay for the box in order to play.
And lets keep away from ancient obscure fictional texts when talking about legislation.
I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been -Wayne Gretzky
What a complete and utter waste of time.
Next the EU are going to find out which is better, Coke or Pepsi.
There are four types of so called "Free 2 Play" games.
A) Completely free to play
Free to play with boosts from in-app purchases but still playable without spending any money.
C) Free to play with boosts from in-app purchases but still playable without spending any money. But due the construction of the game free players will fall back off so horribly so that it is necessary for them to pay a lot of stuff just to be able to keep up.
D) Free to play till a specific requirement is meet then you will be enforced to pay for unlocking further stuff or to advance further. (Can also be called a sort of demo)
I do assume that the EU will protect the customers from games type C and D stating that they are free to play but they are in reality not. But the statement of the EU will also affect games of the typus B, which can be played really for free and people are not enforced to pay anything.
Another thing is with games of typus D where it is clearly stated that it is only for free till a clearly stated limit is reached and that is a requirement to pay if you want to advance further.
In the type C games you can find many of the facebook games or asia grinder MMORPGs.
Play My magic Tales
Play Rise of Immortals
Play Regno card game for free.
Premium membership available.
I agree, but when did the masses ever did? They need help.
You already have that protection. It's called You. You choose what to play. You choose what to spend money on. You take responsibility for your choices. You are the first, last and only protection you need.If you cannot/will not protect yourself from something as unimportant as video games; heaven help you. You're not long for this world.
Oh goody, more useless and unnecessary regulation to protect those who lack common sense and / or have an IQ lower than the average men's shoe size.
This is the equivalent of outlawing giveaways on sites like this one because the 'free' item doesn't include the cost of internet bandwidth needed to claim it. It's completely unnecessary and it will snowball to encompass other things, as all government regulation is wont to do.
AN' DERE AIN'T NO SUCH FING AS ENUFF DAKKA, YA GROT! Enuff'z more than ya got an' less than too much an' there ain't no such fing as too much dakka. Say dere is, and me Squiggoff'z eatin' tonight!
We are born of the blood. Made men by the blood. Undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open. FEAR THE OLD BLOOD.
#IStandWithVic
Is there the possibility of making a purchase from within the game? If so, then it's not "Free".
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This sounds a lot more like it's aimed at the mobile market, not desktop MMORPGs, though desktop MMORPGs are going to get caught in the same net. It stems from people buying things without meaning to, mostly children. Think, shiny upgrade buttons without a double check on purchases. It would be like handing Google Play to a child, without having the password check on purchases.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.