A total of six top Japanese social game makers and platforms formed a council to self-regulate their monetization models, specifically with an eye on protecting younger players.
The list includes:
- arch enemies GREE and DeNA
- Japan’s largest social network Mixi (which operates a social gaming platform within its network)
- CyberAgent (which owns a number of social game makers and intends to turn Ameba into a gaming platform)
- Dwango (which offers social games on its popular video platform Nico Nico Douga)
- NHN Japan (the local subsidiary of Korean web giant NHN and operator of Hangame)
Not exactly a big number considering that the number of social game users in Japan is in the tens of millions. There were 100 less complaints last year, so the number – which is super-low anyway – hasn’t really skyrocketed either. But 688 cases nation-wide were enough for the Japanese press and some online media to completely blow the “phenomenon” out of proportion.
Earlier this month, GREE already announced a number of similar measures for minors on its own. The company also said it’s ready to combat off-platform virtual item trading, something the new council will deal with, too.
