These can be upgrades, costumes or weapons for their in-game characters, 虚拟商品可能是游戏内角色的升级、皮肤或武器，

or (more cynically) a lottery-style “loot box” whose contents are unknown in advance, but might prove valuable enough to resell to other players. 或者（更讽刺的是）彩票式的“战利品箱”，其内容事先未知，但可能证明其价值足以转售给其他玩家。

Since the marginal cost of creating virtual items is zero, they are very profitable for developers. 由于创建虚拟项目的边际成本为零，因此对开发人员来说是非常有利可图的。

That has given rise to a “freemium” business model, of which Tencent was a pioneer, whereby games are given away cheaply or free but players are constantly nagged to spend money on in-game items. 这其中催生了一种“免费增值”的商业模式，腾讯就是先驱，游戏本身非常便宜甚至免费，但是玩家却经常受营销蛊惑把钱花在游戏内的虚拟物品上。

All this has been supercharged by smartphones, which mean people can keep playing—and paying—at all hours of the day. 这一切都由于智能手机的出现再次强化，意味着人们可以一直玩游戏，一天24小时都可以玩游戏。

The result is an unhealthy loop. 结果就是病态循环。

Firms strive to keep players hooked, because the more time they spend in a game, the more money they will spend on baubles within it. 游戏公司努力让玩家上钩，因为玩家在游戏上花的时间越多，在游戏里的小玩意儿上花的钱就越多。

Whizzy data analytics let developers tweak their products to do just that, using psychological tricks and nudges familiar from social-networking sites and the gambling industry. 开发者通过高技术数据分析，使用心理学技巧、社交网站以及博彩业常见的推广，稍加改进游戏产品。

All this can be extremely lucrative. 所有这些都有利可图。

Sensor Tower, an analysis firm, reckons that “Candy Crush Saga”, a popular game in the West, made $930m last year. 移动应用市场研究公司“感应塔”，预估西方流行游戏“糖果粉碎传奇”（类似中国的消消乐）去年盈利9.3亿美元。

The keenest gamers, known as “whales” (a term coined by casinos to describe high-rolling customers), can spend thousands of dollars a year. 最狂热的玩家“鲸鱼玩家”(赌场用来描述高收入顾客的术语)，一年可在游戏上花费数千美元。

Tencent is trying to placate the Chinese government. 腾讯试图安抚政府。

It is expanding its age-verification scheme and limiting screen time for children. 所以正扩大其年龄认证计划，限制未成年人登录游戏时间。

Its counterparts in other countries should take note. 其他国家的游戏巨头也应学习这一点。

This newspaper does not generally believe governments should tell adults how to spend their money. 本刊一般认为政府不应控制成年人消费方式。

But the industry could do more to protect children and addicts from its increasingly sophisticated products. 但游戏产品日益多样化，游戏行业应在保护儿童和游戏成瘾者不失控方面有所作为。

It is in its own long-term interests to do so. 这种做法也是考虑到游戏公司的长远利益。

Video games now rival the film industry for clout. 如今，电子游戏与电影行业平分秋色。

Gaming is thought to be worth around $140bn annually worldwide, and is growing at 13% a year. 每年，世界范围内游戏价值约1400亿美元，并以每年13%的速度增长。

But society’s attitude towards technology is hardening. 但社会对待科技的态度却越来越严苛。

In a world of fake news and hyper-targeted advertising, voters and politicians have awoken to the danger that devices and data may be manipulating people in harmful ways. 在充满虚假信息和超精准推送的世界，设备和数据可能会以有害的方式操控人，选民和政客已清醒意识到这种危险。

A little voluntary forbearance now could save a lot of regulatory pain later. 现在一点自主克制可省去之后许多监管痛苦。