Video game aficionados might have to enter a credit card or find another way to verify their age before playing a networked game, thanks to a new push from advocacy groups who say they want to protect minors from in-game advertising messages, CNET reports. In-game marketing has become so advanced that it “allows advertisers to track game users” and detect if people who are exposed to certain ads eventually use or buy the advertised product, a coalition including the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, the Center for Digital Democracy, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and U.S. PIRG told federal regulators this week. They say that because “mobile devices, instant messaging, social networks, virtual reality, avatars, interactive games, and online video” have become so pervasive, the Federal Trade Commission must enact new regulations to protect minors from electronic advertisements and other marketing messages. Not only young children are at risk, but the FTC “should seek ways to provide protections to teens,” the coalition recommends…
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