CCPC to probe manipulation of players as young as three by makers of online games
The probe, coordinated by the International Consumer Protection Enforcement Network (ICPEN), examined 439 mobile and online games to identify potential consumer harms.
The ICPEN report did not name individual games or developers where it had found evidence of potentially harmful practices.
Parental controls aimed at protecting minors were only found in a small subsection of games
It said it had found evidence of several design techniques being used across the sector that may aim to manipulate players as young as three into making decisions or purchases they wouldn't otherwise make.
Potentially problematic practices include so-called sneaking, where information is intentionally withheld or hidden – for example the real-world price of virtual in-game currencies.
Nagging is another technique used to squeeze money from players and involves repeated, seemingly endless notifications or reminders, leading to a player agreeing to an action, such as make an in-app purchase out of frustration.
Obstruction – where a game is intentionally designed to block a player in a certain way that frustrates them into making a decision or purchase to progress further – is also a feature of some games.
The authorities also looked at other potentially harmful consumer practices in how games used loot boxes – in-game rewards which can be bought with real or virtual currency, or earned by watching in-game ads.
Just 30pc of games with loot boxes disclosed these facts at the download stage, including in games rated for children as young as three.
Parental controls and other practices aimed at protecting minors were only found in a small subsection of the games included in the sweep. Of the games that did include parental controls, only a minority were classed as easy to set up and reinforce.
The annual ICPEN sweep took place between March 31 and April 11, 2025.
ICPEN said it has uncovered the presence of several practices that could potentially harm consumers.
'Given the prevalence of these practices in video games, and the worldwide reach of this entertainment industry, the participating members of the sweep recommend more action from the industry, regulatory bodies and legislators,' ICPEN said.
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