Young Gamer Spends Millions on Tencent Games
Recently, the Chinese social media has been buzzing with the story of a 12-year-old gamer named Xiaoyu. It is reported that in just four months, this young boy secretly used his parents’ savings to spend nearly 8,000 RMB (approximately 30 million VND) on Honor of Kings and PUBG Mobile from Tencent.
Specifically, from June to October of this year, Xiaoyu’s mother received dozens of payment invoices from Tencent without understanding the reason behind them. Upon investigation, it turned out that the culprit was her 12-year-old son. Having just completed his exams, Xiaoyu was left alone at home during the summer holidays. Feeling bored, he decided to use his parents’ money to purchase numerous skins, items, and weapons in the games.
It is known that Xiaoyu’s mother had shared the WeChat payment account password with him to make it easier for him to buy food and daily necessities. However, in response to this trust, the young gamer made a significant mistake. The amount Xiaoyu spent on in-game purchases was equivalent to his parents’ monthly income, causing them great disappointment and distress.
Chinese Social Media in Uproar, Tencent Refuses to Refund the Lost Money?
In a statement to the press, Xiaoyu’s mother confirmed that she had filed complaints multiple times, trying to seek assistance through Tencent’s customer service and juvenile service. However, since the end of October, Tencent has repeatedly rejected her claims, requesting the family to provide additional “unreasonable consumption information of minors.” To date, the refund request has not been approved.
This is not the first time such incidents have occurred, and it is not exclusive to China. As the gaming industry continues to grow, cases of children overspending and losing control in online games are becoming a global issue.
Xiaoyu’s story serves as a valuable lesson for parents, minors, and game developers alike. To prevent similar situations from occurring, there needs to be collaboration between families and society in guiding children on how to use technology responsibly and manage finances wisely.
According to Sohu
