Step 5 of 5

Step 5: Spending, time, scams and updates

The first four steps get you to the point of playing. This last step is about the months after that: keeping spending where you decided it should be, keeping time in proportion, recognising the scams aimed at game accounts, and handling updates and, if it comes to it, leaving.

Keeping spending where you decided

In Step 1 you chose an amount you were comfortable spending in your first three months, perhaps nothing at all. This section is about making that decision stick, because games that sell items while you play are designed to put purchases in front of you at moments when you are enjoying yourself.

The most effective measure is to make spending slightly inconvenient. If a game or store offers to save your card details, consider declining, so that each purchase requires you to fetch your card and type in the number. That small pause is often enough to reconsider.

Some people prefer to use a prepaid card or a gift card bought from a reputable retailer for game spending. Once its balance is used, there is nothing more to spend until you deliberately decide to add to it. Others keep a simple note of every purchase with its date and amount in Australian dollars, and look at the total once a month.

If anyone under eighteen uses the computer or the account, use the purchase controls offered by your operating system, the game store or the game itself. Most allow you to require a password for every purchase or block purchases entirely. Do not share the account's payment password with children, even for one purchase.

Why virtual currency blurs prices

Many games ask you to buy a virtual currency with real money and then spend that currency on items. This creates a gap between what you pay and what you see on the price tag, and it makes items harder to compare.

Two common features widen that gap. The first is bundle sizes that do not match item prices, so you are left with an odd remainder of currency that encourages another purchase. The second is a set of bonus amounts on larger bundles, which make bigger purchases look like better value.

A simple habit counters both. Before buying anything, work out what the item costs in Australian dollars by dividing the price of a currency bundle by the amount of currency it contains. Then ask whether you would pay that dollar amount if the item were offered directly. If not, leave it.

Refunds and your consumer rights

Digital purchases, including games and in-game items, are covered by the Australian Consumer Law. Businesses that sell to consumers in Australia must provide certain guarantees, and the terms of a game cannot take them away. The ACCC explains what those guarantees are and what remedies apply when a product does not meet them.

In practice, if something you paid for does not work as described, contact the publisher's support service first, in writing, and keep a copy. Include the date, the amount, the receipt and a short, factual description of the problem. If that does not resolve it, the ACCC's website explains the next steps, including your state or territory consumer protection agency.

Watch for charges you do not recognise. Check your bank or card statements for game-related payments each month. If you see one you did not make, contact your bank promptly and change the account's password.

Keeping time in proportion

Most people who play online games do so happily alongside work, family and everything else. For some, though, time spent playing gradually grows until it crowds out sleep, meals, other interests or people. It rarely happens all at once, which is why it helps to keep an eye on it deliberately.

Compare your actual playtime against the weekly hours you chose in Step 1. Many operating systems and game stores include screen-time or playtime reports; your own note works just as well. A monthly look is enough.

Some signs that it may be time to cut back are worth listing so you can check them honestly:

• You regularly play much longer than you intended.
• You lose sleep, or skip meals or plans, to keep playing.
• You feel irritable or restless when you cannot play.
• You spend more than you decided, or hide spending from people you live with.
• People close to you have mentioned it more than once.

If several of these apply, try reducing your time for a couple of weeks: choose fixed days, set an alarm, or uninstall the game temporarily. If cutting back is harder than expected, or you feel low, talk to your GP, who can help you find appropriate support. This is general guidance, not a diagnosis, and you are the best judge of what is normal for you.

Scams aimed at game accounts

Game accounts are valuable to criminals because they can be resold, used to make purchases, or stripped of items. The scams below are among the forms commonly described by consumer agencies. Scamwatch keeps an up-to-date list of current scams and explains how to report one.

• Fake sign-in pages. A message, email or advertisement links to a page that looks like the game's sign-in page but is not. Always sign in by typing the game's address yourself or using the official client.
• Giveaways that ask for your details. An offer of in-game currency, items or upgrades in exchange for signing in through a link, entering your password or installing a program. Genuine publishers do not ask for your password to give you something.
• Impersonated support staff. Someone claiming to work for the game asks for your password, two-step sign-in code or backup codes. Real support staff never need them.
• Trading and selling. Offers to buy your account or items, or to sell you some, often outside the game. These usually breach the game's terms and are a common way to lose both money and accounts.
• Unofficial programs. Tools that promise advantages, extra currency or faster progress. Besides breaching the terms, they may contain harmful software.

If you think you have fallen for one of these, act calmly but promptly: change the account's password from a computer you trust, check that two-step sign-in is still on, contact the game's official support, and contact your bank if payment details may be affected. The Australian Cyber Security Centre has step-by-step guidance on recovering a compromised account.

Living with updates

As Step 1 explained, online games are updated regularly and usually require the update before you can play. A little planning keeps this from getting in the way.

Let the game update automatically when the computer is not in use if that option exists, so that updates are finished before you sit down. Keep some storage space spare, because updates add to the game's size over time. If your internet plan has a data limit, check how much a large update uses.

Most publishers publish patch notes, a list of what each update changes. Skimming them helps you understand why something feels different. After a large update, check that your settings have not been reset, using the note you made in Step 4.

Updates are also a moment to check that your operating system and graphics drivers are still current, as described in Step 2.

Taking a break, or leaving for good

You can stop playing at any time, and it is worth knowing how to do so tidily. If you are taking a break, simply uninstalling the game releases storage space; your progress normally remains on the publisher's servers. Keep the account's password and two-step sign-in in place so it is not taken over while you are away.

If you decide to leave permanently, closing the account properly is better than abandoning it:

1. Look up the game's account-closure process; you noted where to find it in Step 3.
2. Remove any saved payment cards and cancel any subscriptions first.
3. Request closure through the official process, and keep the confirmation.
4. If you also want your personal information deleted, ask for that explicitly. The OAIC explains your privacy rights in Australia.
5. Uninstall the game and remove its saved sign-in from your password manager once closure is confirmed.