Mobile game Township allows users to build a town of their choosing by harvesting crops and selling them to make a profit.
It’s available as a free download on iOS and Android, with options to make in-app purchases. The game has thousands of five-star reviews on each platform.
But an Alberta father is cautioning others that apps labelled as free aren’t always so. Many free apps and games offer in-app purchases to earn money — Epic Games’ Fortnite is perhaps one of the best examples of this model. The game is free to play but earns money off of cosmetics that alter the appearance of your in-game character are available for purchase.
Unfortunately, sometimes in-app purchases can be designed to entice people to spend money, such as by blocking game progress or by making it hard to tell you’re using real money. There are also many scams that rely on in-app purchases to make money.
Jerry Marion told Global News his 18-year-old daughter got addicted to the game over the holiday season, racking up a $4,986 tab.
Marion said his daughter was confused over the fact she was using real money and believes the game capitalized on the isolation she was feeling at the time.
“She thought it was simply just credits that were being accumulated, and as the dollars were racking up, it wasn’t hitting her credit card,” he said.
Global News reports the father’s attempt to resolve the charges with Township developer Playrix didn’t lead anywhere. Marion reached out to Apple twice as well but was only issued a refund after he spoke with Global News.
Marion said corporations and parents both have a role to play when considering vulnerable people and how to protect them.
“[Parents] have to be more conscious of where we’re setting up the ability to spend money, and I think from my daughter’s perspective, it was a bit confusing for her,” Marion told the news outlet. “But I think she really understands now that as you go through these addictive cycles, you have to find ways to get out of them.”
Image credit: Township/Android
Source: Global News
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