UK trade association UKIE has broadly welcomed the new principles for in-app purchases in games aimed at children set out by the Office of Fair Trading, though it has warned against 'stifling creativity'.

Speaking in response to the publishing of the OFT's paper, UKIE CEO Jo Twist acknowledged that developers have a "responsibility to their players, particularly children, very seriously and are fully committed to complying with all legal obligations."

Words of warning

"We welcome any guidance from the OFT to clarify how they are interpreting the law and shall be taking our time to digest the proposed guidelines before responding fully to the OFT's consultation," detailed Twist.

"It is vital that any final guidelines, whilst primarily considering the best interests of children, do not inadvertently isolate UK consumers from accessing the games that they want to play, stifle the creativity of games developers or prevent the growth of the UK games industry."

Twist went on to add that the advent of free releases enables consumers to play the latest releases, adding that in-app purchases in many of them are "optional".

"The games industry takes its responsibility to children very seriously and most devices and digital marketplaces have safeguards in place, such as password locks and parental controls, that can prevent children from being able to access in-app purchases," concluded Twist.

"We will continue to do everything that we can to raise awareness of in-app purchasing and will be working with the OFT to make sure that their guidelines consider the needs of consumers and the UK’s games industry."