An unnamed gamer in Australia became so invested in a mobile Transformers game that they spent $150,000 on microtransactions.
Microtransactions and loot boxes are a controversial topic in the video game world right now. While the majority of mobile games are free, and often advertised as such, once downloaded and played hor a very short while, it becomes clear that in order to enjoy the game, players will need to spend money. Many are calling for microtransactions to be scrapped, or at least be more regulated than they are right now.
The trouble is that more people are okay with microtransactions than those who aren't. There's a reason why they are becoming more and more prevalent, and they have even started to leak over into console games. The mobile gaming audience is far bigger than that of the console and PC worlds. Most mobile gamers aren't accustomed to spending $60 on a game and then nothing more, so they don't mind paying a microtransaction or two.
We say a microtransaction or two, but one of the biggest issues with this style of game is that some people don't know when to call it a day. That's all well and good if those players can afford it, but not so much if they cannot. Big spenders in mobile gaming, or "whales" as they're often referred to in the industry, and how to target them was discussed at the Game Connect Asia-Pacific conference in Australia, reports Kotaku.
Perhaps the most worrying topic covered during the conference was the revelation that one unnamed player spent a whopping $150,000 on microtransactions in Transformers: Earth Wars. When one of the game's developers Henry Fong, who gave the talk at the conference, was asked whether that was real or just a projection, he clarified that there was indeed one player who had spent that staggering amount on Transformers microtransactions.
While this may seem amusing on the surface, especially since we aren't the ones who have been sucked in by microtransactions to this extent, there's no further information on who exactly spent this massive amount of money. Yes, it might be someone with more money than they'll ever use harmlessly enjoying themselves. However, it could be someone who can't afford it that got carried away or even a child whose parents are blissfully unaware of the money their kid is spending.
Source: Kotaku