Tech

How computer games encourage kids to spend cash

Published

1 year ago

May 15, 2023

Like many children, Nara Ward’s boys love gaming

Nara Ward says keeping track of her kids’ spending when they are playing their favourite computer games is a full-time job.

Ms Ward lives in Barbados with her husband and sons, Finn, 14, and Leif, 12.

When Leif started playing Roblox, he began asking for robux – the game’s currency – that allows players to upgrade their character or buy virtual items. So his grandparents gave him $200 (£159) Apple credit for Christmas.

“To my shock, he spent all of it in a matter of days,” says Ms Ward. “After that, I gave him no more than $10 worth of robux per month. He quickly became frustrated and bored with the game.”

Leif moved on to World of Tanks, which also requires players to upgrade their weaponry using PlayStation credit.

“However, this game has the option to watch ads to gain credit,” says Ms Ward. “He would do that out of desperation when he had used up his monthly gaming allowance.”

Ms Ward says her younger son has yet to learn self-control or money-sense.

“It’s something that I have to police constantly.”

Nara Ward has been shocked how quickly her sons can spend money in games

Rather than profiting from the initial sale of a video game, many of today’s gaming companies rely on revenue generated by in-game purchases, or microtransactions.

The content purchased can be purely aesthetic – dance moves, skins or clothing.

Alternatively, in-game purchases can provide a tactical advantage to the gameplay – extra lives, character upgrades or weapons – providing a lead over players who did not purchase the additional content.

The global online microtransaction market is forecast to grow from $67.94bn in 2022 to $76.66bn in 2023.

However, there are signs of a backlash from experts and consumers alike. Also, some companies are promising new releases that are in-game purchase-free.

Professor Sarah Mills, Loughborough University — Prof Mills says that young people can feel ashamed at how much they spend in games

Gaming companies use behavioural psychology to manipulate users into spending, says Prof Sarah Mills, and the link between gaming and gambling is becoming “increasingly blurred”, she explains.

Ms Mills is professor of human geography at Loughborough University. Her research found gambling techniques make gamers play for longer and spend more money, and drive repeat buying.

Vicki Shotbolt, chief executive of Parent Zone, an organisation which helps parents navigate the digital world for their children, is more specific about how games incentivise players to part with their money.

By spending players can “avoid the grind” – where making an in-game purchase means you avoid hours of monotonous gaming to progress to another level.

“Fun pain” is where you risk losing something important if you don’t make a purchase.

Meanwhile, “obfuscation techniques”, like in-game currencies, make it hard to see how much you’re really spending.

Another tactic is the use of “loot boxes”. Players buy a box without knowing what’s inside. It could contain a game-changing item – but more often than not the prize is nothing more than a mediocre customisation.

“Young people recalled senses of shame when they reflected on the amount they spent trying to gain a rare item, even if they were successful,” says Prof Mills.

And – despite many children saying they dislike in-game purchasing – spending money on microtransactions has become an expectation.

While spending on games has risen, some argue that playing games can benefit young people and fears are exaggerated.

Gaming as a form of play has been found to relieve stress, help develop cognitive skills and combat loneliness.

Zhenghua Yang founder of Serenity Forge — Zhenghua Yang says computer games can be beneficial to for young people

As a teenager Zhenghua Yang, from Colorado, spent two years in hospital.

“I played a lot of video games. The single-player games made me feel like a hero. The multiplayer games connected me to other people. I made life-long friends all over the world.”

In 2014, Mr Yang founded Serenity Forge, a gaming company on a mission to help others. To date, more than 20 million people have played the firm’s games.

“We are in the business of expanding people’s horizons,” says Mr Yang.

Serenity Forge does not use microtransactions but, says Mr Yang, that could change in the future if they found them to contribute to “meaningful, emotionally impactful games that challenge the way you think”.

The impact of microtransactions, says Mr Yang, depends on the vulnerability of the user.

“Like a credit card can be dangerous for someone in an inappropriate context, so too can microtransactions. However, credit cards can also serve an important function and in-game purchases can be important to a gamer engaging with their favourite game.”

Game from Serenity Forge — Serenity Forge games do not use microtransactions – yet

Sarah Loya’s son Andrew, 14, spends almost all his pocket money on gaming but, she says, that isn’t a problem and gaming makes him happy.

“He plays daily, after school and on the weekends. I don’t really see much of a negative. He’s a smart kid and knows the difference between reality and fantasy.”

Ms Loya lives in Texas with Andrew, and his brother Rex, 6.

“My bank account is linked to Andrew’s subscription, so I would see if he purchased something without permission,” says the 43-year-old, “but he always asks me before making a purchase.”

While it can be difficult for parents to keep track of registered emails, passwords and payment cards across various platforms and devices – there are ways that you can protect your teen and your bank account.

Child accounts and parental controls can be used to disable purchases or set a spending limit. Parents can set up email notifications to flag purchases, and use gift cards rather than credit cards.

Perhaps most importantly, adds Mr Yang, talk to your child.

“In my experience, friction stems from a lack of parental presence,” he says. “I now have two kids and, instead of using games as a babysitting tool, I make sure I’m present in their lives as they consume media.”

Back in Barbados, Ms Ward has set up screen time limits and passcodes to keep Leif gaming safely.

“My password is needed to make any purchases and if he wants money added to his account he has to ask me. Microtransactions are annoying but this is a life lesson.”

If parents are worried about a young person struggling with gaming or potential gambling-related harms, please visit the Parent Hub website by YGAM (Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust) for support and resource.

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News

The Internet is Littered in ‘Educated Guesses’ Without the ‘Education’

Published

1 week ago

October 8, 2024

Nick Kossovan

Although no one likes a know-it-all, they dominate the Internet.

The Internet began as a vast repository of information. It quickly became a breeding ground for self-proclaimed experts seeking what most people desire: recognition and money.

Today, anyone with an Internet connection and some typing skills can position themselves, regardless of their education or experience, as a subject matter expert (SME). From relationship advice, career coaching, and health and nutrition tips to citizen journalists practicing pseudo-journalism, the Internet is awash with individuals—Internet talking heads—sharing their “insights,” which are, in large part, essentially educated guesses without the education or experience.

The Internet has become a 24/7/365 sitcom where armchair experts think they’re the star.

Not long ago, years, sometimes decades, of dedicated work and acquiring education in one’s field was once required to be recognized as an expert. The knowledge and opinions of doctors, scientists, historians, et al. were respected due to their education and experience. Today, a social media account and a knack for hyperbole are all it takes to present oneself as an “expert” to achieve Internet fame that can be monetized.

On the Internet, nearly every piece of content is self-serving in some way.

The line between actual expertise and self-professed knowledge has become blurry as an out-of-focus selfie. Inadvertently, social media platforms have created an informal degree program where likes and shares are equivalent to degrees. After reading selective articles, they’ve found via and watching some TikTok videos, a person can post a video claiming they’re an herbal medicine expert. Their new “knowledge,” which their followers will absorb, claims that Panda dung tea—one of the most expensive teas in the world and isn’t what its name implies—cures everything from hypertension to existential crisis. Meanwhile, registered dietitians are shaking their heads, wondering how to compete against all the misinformation their clients are exposed to.

More disturbing are individuals obsessed with evangelizing their beliefs or conspiracy theories. These people write in-depth blog posts, such as Elvis Is Alive and the Moon Landings Were Staged, with links to obscure YouTube videos, websites, social media accounts, and blogs. Regardless of your beliefs, someone or a group on the Internet shares them, thus confirming your beliefs.

Misinformation is the Internet’s currency used to get likes, shares, and engagement; thus, it often spreads like a cosmic joke. Consider the prevalence of clickbait headlines:

You Won’t Believe What Taylor Swift Says About Climate Change!
This Bedtime Drink Melts Belly Fat While You Sleep!
In One Week, I Turned $10 Into $1 Million!

Titles that make outrageous claims are how the content creator gets reads and views, which generates revenue via affiliate marketing, product placement, and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Clickbait headlines are how you end up watching a TikTok video by a purported nutrition expert adamantly asserting you can lose belly fat while you sleep by drinking, for 14 consecutive days, a concoction of raw eggs, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before going to bed.

Our constant search for answers that’ll explain our convoluted world and our desire for shortcuts to success is how Internet talking heads achieve influencer status. Because we tend to seek low-hanging fruits, we listen to those with little experience or knowledge of the topics they discuss yet are astute enough to know what most people want to hear.

There’s a trend, more disturbing than spreading misinformation, that needs to be called out: individuals who’ve never achieved significant wealth or traded stocks giving how-to-make-easy-money advice, the appeal of which is undeniable. Several people I know have lost substantial money by following the “advice” of Internet talking heads.

Anyone on social media claiming to have a foolproof money-making strategy is lying. They wouldn’t be peddling their money-making strategy if they could make easy money.

Successful people tend to be secretive.

Social media companies design their respective algorithms to serve their advertisers—their source of revenue—interest; hence, content from Internet talking heads appears most prominent in your feeds. When a video of a self-professed expert goes viral, likely because it pressed an emotional button, the more people see it, the more engagement it receives, such as likes, shares and comments, creating a cycle akin to a tornado.

Imagine scrolling through your TikTok feed and stumbling upon a “scientist” who claims they can predict the weather using only aluminum foil, copper wire, sea salt and baking soda. You chuckle, but you notice his video got over 7,000 likes, has been shared over 600 times and received over 400 comments. You think to yourself, “Maybe this guy is onto something.” What started as a quest to achieve Internet fame evolved into an Internet-wide belief that weather forecasting can be as easy as DIY crafts.

Since anyone can call themselves “an expert,” you must cultivate critical thinking skills to distinguish genuine expertise from self-professed experts’ self-promoting nonsense. While the absurdity of the Internet can be entertaining, misinformation has serious consequences. The next time you read a headline that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably an Internet talking head making an educated guess; without the education seeking Internet fame, they can monetize.

______________________________________________________________

Nick Kossovan, a self-described connoisseur of human psychology, writes about what’s

on his mind from Toronto. You can follow Nick on Twitter and Instagram @NKossovan.

Tech

Tight deadlines on software projects can put safety at risk: survey

Published

2 weeks ago

October 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – A new survey says a majority of software engineers and developers feel tight project deadlines can put safety at risk.

Seventy-five per cent of the 1,000 global workers who responded to the survey released Tuesday say pressure to deliver projects on time and on budget could be compromising critical aspects like safety.

The concern is even higher among engineers and developers in North America, with 77 per cent of those surveyed on the continent reporting the urgency of projects could be straining safety.

The study was conducted between July and September by research agency Coleman Parkes and commissioned by BlackBerry Ltd.’s QNX division, which builds connected-car technology.

The results reflect a timeless tug of war engineers and developers grapple with as they balance the need to meet project deadlines with regulations and safety checks that can slow down the process.

Finding that balance is an issue that developers of even the simplest appliances face because of advancements in technology, said John Wall, a senior vice-president at BlackBerry and head of QNX.

“The software is getting more complicated and there is more software whether it’s in a vehicle, robotics, a toaster, you name it… so being able to patch vulnerabilities, to prevent bad actors from doing malicious acts is becoming more and more important,” he said.

The medical, industrial and automotive industries have standardized safety measures and anything they produce undergoes rigorous testing, but that work doesn’t happen overnight. It has to be carried out from the start and then at every step of the development process.

“What makes safety and security difficult is it’s an ongoing thing,” Wall said. “It’s not something where you’ve done it, and you are finished.”

The Waterloo, Ont.-based business found 90 per cent of its survey respondents reported that organizations are prioritizing safety.

However, when asked about why safety may not be a priority for their organization, 46 per cent of those surveyed answered cost pressures and 35 per cent said a lack of resources.

That doesn’t surprise Wall. Delays have become rampant in the development of tech, and in some cases, stand to push back the launch of vehicle lines by two years, he said.

“We have to make sure that people don’t compromise on safety and security to be able to get products out quicker,” he said.

“What we don’t want to see is people cutting corners and creating unsafe situations.”

The survey also took a peek at security breaches, which have hit major companies like London Drugs, Indigo Books & Music, Giant Tiger and Ticketmaster in recent years.

About 40 per cent of the survey’s respondents said they have encountered a security breach in their employer’s operating system. Those breaches resulted in major impacts for 27 per cent of respondents, moderate impacts for 42 per cent and minor impacts for 27 per cent.

“There are vulnerabilities all the time and this is what makes the job very difficult because when you ship the software, presumably the software has no security vulnerabilities, but things get discovered after the fact,” Wall said.

Security issues, he added, have really come to the forefront of the problems developers face, so “really without security, you have no safety.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BB)

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Tech

Beware of scams during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sales event: cybersecurity firm

Published

2 weeks ago

October 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

As online shoppers hunt for bargains offered by Amazon during its annual fall sale this week, cybersecurity researchers are warning Canadians to beware of an influx of scammers posing as the tech giant.

In the 30 days leading up to Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days, taking place Tuesday and Wednesday, there were more than 1,000 newly registered Amazon-related web domains, according to Check Point Software Technologies, a company that offers cybersecurity solutions.

The company said it deemed 88 per cent of those domains malicious or suspicious, suggesting they could have been set up by scammers to prey on vulnerable consumers. One in every 54 newly created Amazon-related domain included the phrase “Amazon Prime.”

“They’re almost indiscernible from the real Amazon domain,” said Robert Falzon, head of engineering at Check Point in Canada.

“With all these domains registered that look so similar, it’s tricking a lot of people. And that’s the whole intent here.”

Falzon said Check Point Research sees an uptick in attempted scams around big online shopping days throughout the year, including Prime Days.

Scams often come in the form of phishing emails, which are deceptive messages that appear to be from a reputable source in attempt to steal sensitive information.

In this case, he said scammers posing as Amazon commonly offer “outrageous” deals that appear to be associated with Prime Days, in order to trick recipients into clicking on a malicious link.

The cybersecurity firm said it has identified and blocked 100 unique Amazon Prime-themed scam emails targeting organizations and consumers over the past two weeks.

Scammers also target Prime members with unsolicited calls, claiming urgent account issues and requesting payment information.

“It’s like Christmas for them,” said Falzon.

“People expect there to be significant savings on Prime Day, so they’re not shocked that they see something of significant value. Usually, the old adage applies: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

Amazon’s website lists a number of red flags that it recommends customers watch for to identify a potential impersonation scam.

Those include false urgency, requests for personal information, or indications that the sender prefers to complete the purchase outside of the Amazon website or mobile app.

Scammers may also request that customers exclusively pay with gift cards, a claim code or PIN. Any notifications about an order or delivery for an unexpected item should also raise alarm bells, the company says.

“During busy shopping moments, we tend to see a rise in impersonation scams reported by customers,” said Amazon spokeswoman Octavia Roufogalis in a statement.

“We will continue to invest in protecting consumers and educating the public on scam avoidance. We encourage consumers to report suspected scams to us so that we can protect their accounts and refer bad actors to law enforcement to help keep consumers safe.”

Falzon added that these scams are more successful than people might think.

As of June 30, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said there had been $284 million lost to fraud so far this year, affecting 15,941 victims.

But Falzon said many incidents go unreported, as some Canadians who are targeted do not know how or where to flag a scam, or may choose not to out of embarrassment.

Check Point recommends Amazon customers take precautions while shopping on Prime Days, including by checking URLs carefully, creating strong passwords on their accounts, and avoiding personal information being shared such as their birthday or social security number.

The cybersecurity company said consumers should also look for “https” at the beginning of a website URL, which indicates a secure connection, and use credit cards rather than debit cards for online shopping, which offer better protection and less liability if stolen.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.

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