1
Smurf app is totally smurfed up
One of the most popular games in the Apple app store is called Smurfs' Village. This is the type of game you load on your iPhone and then toss the phone to the kids to play with. It's a little like Farmville but it takes place in that weird world of blue people that only has one female AND NO ONE EVER ACKNOWLEDGES IT. In the game, you can buy extra equipment or powers through in-app purchases using real money. But those extras are apparently way TOO easy to purchase and parents have been getting billed hundreds, even thousands of dollars for Smurf stuff that their kids bought. Now Capcom, who made the game, is in trouble with Apple. One of the solutions might be to reduce the automatic login time for the app. Normally, once you enter your password, you don't get prompted to do it again for 15 minutes. But junior could have gone on a Smurf buying spree by then.
This marks the first instance of the phrase "Smurf buying spree" in the history of this blog.
Hello,
This definitely bugs me for a few reasons.
It should be pretty easy for Apple or the app developers to create some built-in parental controlled safeguards so that these billing issues don't occur. The iDevice or the app itself could have password protected settings to restrict in-app purchases to a maximum amount or not at all.
Oh wait, these are businesses trying to squeeze as much profit out a difficult economy- they don't care about the consumer (or their shrinking bank account).
Also, shouldn't the parents take some of the blame here. They are in fact handing over to Jr a mini-computer capable of just about anything possible on the interwebs. Wouldn't you think they'd have some conversations about appropriate use of the Device with the kid prior to handing over their web-connected credit card? No emailing strangers, no selling your organs on eBay and no buying smurfberries without permission.
"When I was a kid" we had to go beg for more quarters from mom and dad one at a time. They either handed out some more or we left the mall and went home where we would have dinner and watch the Cosby Show... together.
Thank you,
Love the show/site.
Nate.
