Microtransactions

It’s becoming increasingly common for electronic games to use in-game purchases, known as microtransactions, to increase their profits. However, there is growing concern over predatory practices in these games.

Can it be ethical to implement microtransactions in a video game? Yes, I think it can be ethical and I think that it is completely normal although I think there is a line between it being ethical and not ethical. I think it stops being ethical when companies charge for abilities that affect the game play where it’s a pay-to-win scenario, or when companies charge a ridiculous amount of money for small things.

What would an ethical (or less unethical) microtransaction system look like? In my opinion, I think that an ethical system would be charging people upfront and not having any secret fees or buy-ins after you have purchased the game. If a company is going to charge money for extra things in the game, I think they should only charge for cosmetics and not things that will help you win the game.

Should microtransactions be regulated? No, I do not think that microtransactions should be regulated. Companies who build these games and have full rights to them should do whatever they want with them. They should regulate the game themselves, it should be up to them to decide what is ethical or not since they own that game they worked hard to build.