While online and network games might seem less dominant with the rise of mobile gaming, it turns out this space is increasingly attracting a younger demographic in Japan.
Japan's NGO, the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan (国民生活センター), recently dropped a report analyzing consumer disputes involving minors. The findings on online game spending (課金) disputes are pretty wild: elementary school students are dropping over ¥100,000, signaling a massive spike in spending by underage players, with elementary and junior high students making up the bulk of this trend.
The survey reveals that since 2018, minors (under 20) have become the primary group involved in online and network game spending disputes, accounting for over half of all cases. And get this: while high schoolers are part of the mix, it's the average spending by elementary and junior high students that's been consistently climbing!
Peep the 2023 fiscal year data:
Average spending for elementary school students: ¥105,741
Average spending for junior high school students: ¥193,366
Whoa! It looks like these underage players have some serious spending power when it comes to online and network games!
(Just a heads-up: these figures represent the average spending among respondents who actually spent money on online and network games.)
When the Consumer Center dug into these spending disputes, they polled relevant organizations, and over 90% pointed to "insufficient parental supervision" as the main culprit. With mobile payments becoming super common, dropping cash on games is easier than ever, leading more and more Japanese minors to splurge without a second thought.
The analysis even threw in another kicker: if you look at the overall average among all respondents (including all online consumption, like e-commerce and game spending), elementary and junior high students are still dropping over ¥100,000 annually. And a decade of data trends clearly shows that online spending by Japanese minors is definitely on the rise.
The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan also stressed the urgent need to boost consumer education and awareness for both minors and their parents. It's not just about the rising spending; these habits frequently lead to consumer disputes, marking a fresh challenge in our ever-evolving digital age.