Impact of in-game microtransactions on problem gambling and potential for GamStop self-exclusion to mitigate harm on Android games (Client-Supplied)

Editor Note: This post is done in collaboration with GamStop and should not be considered an editorial endorsement

Microtransactions are common in online games these days. This is a business model. It can be used in a free game where users can buy certain things for a small amount of money. The best example would be GamStop free games with loot boxes. You can buy a loot box for very little money. This is how most microtransactions work. This is more than just similar to gambling on the web. As such gambling addiction is one of the risks that gamers may be affected by. 

Relationship Between Microtransactions and Problem Gambling

The link between microtransactions and problem gaming is massive. The biggest issue here is loot boxes. These are almost the same thing as actually playing casino games. You need to invest money in order to get something and you never know what you are going to get. There are a lot of experts and organizations who have assessed this issue and now they claim that addictions are more common when microtransactions are present in the game.

Some of the methods used to access this issue were numbers of how many players suffered from addiction and how many of them ended up in financial instability. Let’s just say that the numbers were high. 

Players find microtransactions appealing and interesting. They like the thrill of not knowing what they are going to get. Add the fact that in some games you need to make microtransactions in order to win and you can see a problem. 

Potential For Gamstop Self-Exclusion To Mitigate Harm From In-Game Microtransactions In Android Games

GamStop is currently available in the United Kingdom only. It works as a part of UKGC and it is present at sites or applications for gaming with this licence. The pure mission here is simple. A user can use GamStop for free, as long as he wants, and make access to these sites impossible. What if this can be applied to games with microtransactions in Android games?  

All of this would mean that GamStop would allow people to distance themselves from games that have microtransactions. They would be unable to play these casino games for a specific period of time. Once that time frame ends, a player would be able to play the game again. 

Some of the issues here include the fact GamStop is not designed for this purpose. It works only with certain online casinos and as you may know, there are a good amount of online casinos not with GamStop scheme available for players. Also, it would be difficult to implement it in all games of this kind. Each game is different so there is no one simple way to make all of this work. Help from all developers would be needed. 

Best Practices For Promoting Responsible In-Game Spending And Supporting Gamstop Self-Exclusion On Android Games

Promoting GamStop in Android games could be easier than you may believe. The first thing we can see here is that developers and operators can do the promotion. This means that every single player will hear the message before he or she starts playing the game. This is a very effective and very simple method.

Then we can see that regulatory bodies and policy makers can force developers to promote GamStop. This actually works already in the United Kingdom thanks to UKGC and it works perfectly. 

Last but not least important is the list of potential collaborations. We can see countless options such as celebrities, professional gamers, and also software developers. The list is truly endless. 

Gamstop Self-Exclusion To Limit In-Game Spending On Android Games

If GamStop is implemented in this way and for microtransactions, we would see a high success rate. In general, GamStop is successful over 80% today and the number will be increased any time soon. The same if the not higher rate will be possible once GamStop becomes available for Android gamers.

Players would like GamStop and they would use it. It is a free platform that can easily be made in the app form and this is what Android users like and need. Let’s just add that this app would be one of the most effective and the best available online hence the list of possibilities is truly endless.

One thing that could be implemented here is a constant upgrade. Certain developers can hide and make microtransactions impossible to discover and hard to define. This means that GamStop would have to be updated on a regular basis just to find and ban these microtransactions. 

Conclusion

It is a possibility to use different apps to eliminate gaming microtransactions for Android phones. This is not something impossible but something that is a bit hard. Developers can do it and they can help players who are at risk of addiction. This platform is very effective and it has been known for its success rate for a long time. Now it can be implemented in Android games that contain microtransactions and used to prevent any form of related addictions.