Posted by Justin Tello.
Fortnite is a game known across the globe for its massive rise in popularity in the gaming world. Many individuals at different age groups have played the game for its enjoyability. Like most games, you can purchase in-game currency to buy cosmetic items to customize your character. Because the game is mainly marketed towards younger age groups, it is of great possibility that kids would purchase the in-game currency without their parents knowing. This is exactly what occurred and landed the creators of Fortnite to pay $275 million to resolve this problem.
A more detailed description of what Epic Games actually violated reads as follows, “The FTC said in a statement Tuesday that the FortniteLinks to an external site. maker “used dark patterns and other deceptive practices to trick players into making unwanted purchases” and also “made it easy for children to rack up charges without parental consent.”. The use of dark patterns specifically refers to the gently coercive design tactics used by countless websites and apps that critics say are used to manipulate peoples’ digital behaviors. Because of this customers who were affected can claim their settlement fund if eligible. The following people who are eligible reads as follows, “Users who were charged in-game currency for items they didn’t want between January 2017 and September 2022, parents whose children made charges to their credit cards on Fortnite between January 2017 and November 2018 or users whose accounts were locked sometime between January 2017 and September 2022 after they complained to their credit card company about wrongful charges. Claimants must be 18 years old; for younger users, their parents can submit a claim on their behalf.” Customers have until January 17, 2024 to claim their settlement funds.
In my opinion, I believe Epic Games to be guilty solely for the fact they should be aware that a majority of their users are in a younger age group. Another factor I believe that plays into this is the fact that Epic Games pumps out purchasable content on a daily basis for their users to purchase. Nonetheless I believe parents of those kids who committed this act should be more attentive to what their children do within the games they play.
Justin is a finance major at the Stillman School of Business, Seton Hall University.