Ask HN: In-game purchases: addiction or harmless entertainment?
What do you think about children making frequent in-game purchases? Is it a dangerous dopamine addiction similar to gambling or just the reinvention of coin-operated Arcade machines?
There's a lot of discussion of the former but not so much on the fact that paying money to play might be just a re-invention of the 80's coin-operated arcades. In this case it's not THAT bad, right?
I need to make up my mind, do I harm my kid by paying real money to buy him in-game currency? Like enabling a gambling addict? Creating a future gambling addict? Or it's just playing Street Fighter on the arcade, harmless and fun?
There's a lot of discussion of the former but not so much on the fact that paying money to play might be just a re-invention of the 80's coin-operated arcades. In this case it's not THAT bad, right?
I need to make up my mind, do I harm my kid by paying real money to buy him in-game currency? Like enabling a gambling addict? Creating a future gambling addict? Or it's just playing Street Fighter on the arcade, harmless and fun?
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/video-arcade--44895327522880952/