Cash-hungry games REVEALED – this website lets you see the money-grubbing games your kids are playing
Find out if your child's fave video game is an "infinite money hole" that encourages gambling-style purchases
VIDEO GAMES that let you spend money on virtual items like loot boxes are being named and shamed by a Wikipedia-style website dubbed "Microtransaction.zone".
The controversial practice has been slammed by watchdogs for "normalising gambling for children" amid the rise of Fortnite, a free-to-play game that makes a fortune from in-game purchases.
In April alone, Fortnite raked in a jaw-dropping £222million through microtransactions, which mainly revolve around the game's virtual currency (known as V-Bucks) that you can buy starting from £7.99.
But it's not alone. These sort of money-grabbing schemes have become the norm on video games across PC, consoles, and mobile.
And lists all of the worst offenders.
The site is relatively simple to browse: you can either flick through games listings page-by-page or search for the one you or your child plays.
What is Fortnite Battle Royale?
If you're new to the game, here's what you need to know
- Fortnite Battle Royale is a free game.
- It's available on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Mac and now iPhone too.
- In the game, up to 100 players are dropped onto a fictional island.
- Players are then forced to battle it out in a last-person-standing deathmatch.
- To help, players can collect a range of weapons hidden all over the island.
- You can also collect resources – like wood, bricks and metal – to build defensive structures.
- The area you can play in on the island is constantly shrinking thanks to an encroaching storm.
- This means players are forced together over time, until just one person survives.
- The game has been a huge hit, and is also available on iPhone.
Each title is tagged with icons that tell you whether its free-to-play (a dead giveaway that it will come with microtransactions), offers premium downloadable content, has loot boxes (the randomised items that can be purchased with real money), and doesn't have a cap on spending.
It also tells you if a game is devoid of this kind of buyable content (with a corresponding gold tick) and if it has a complete single player mode that doesn't tie progress to purchases.
If you search for Fortnite, for example, you'll see that the game is tagged as free-to-play, with downloadable expansions both major and minor, controversial loot boxes, has no cap on spending (with the site describing it as an "infinite money hole) and has gameplay-altering items buyable with real money.
Like Wikipedia, these ratings are provided by real-life users who can submit reviews that are then vetted by the site.
Here's how the its creators describe the thinking behind Microtransactions.zone:
"We’re two people who are sick of the lack of transparency with microtransactions in games. It’s difficult to find sources that tell what exactly the game will try to sell you after you buy it—may that be piles of hats, premium guns, or loot boxes—so we made a place where people can quickly find out."
The backlash over microtransactions and loot boxes is gaining pace, with parents complaining of huge purchases by unwitting children and regulators urging a crackdown on gambling-style loot boxes.
Most read in tech
Until any real action actually occurs, it's up to parents to monitor the types of games their kids are playing – and sites like Microtansactions.zone are a good place to start.
Are you concerned that your child may be hooked on Fortnite? Let us know in the comments.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.