ABSTRACT
Video game companies collect vast amounts of personal information about gamers, including — but not limited to — age, gender, facial scans, credit card details, licence numbers and location data. There is a significant gap in research regarding the true scope of this information collection and associated privacy law Implications. This is particularly evident from the Australian standpoint, with no existing studies addressing this issue. This article endeavours to fill this gap by pursuing two research aims: (1) using thematic analysis to explore the extent of personal information collected by video game companies; and (2) investigating how such collection is regulated under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), and the extent to which those companies comply with that Act when collecting personal information.
The analysis reveals that the gaming industry collects the personal information of Australian gamers in a way that has the potential to negatively affect gamers. It also evinces a lack of adherence to certain requirements of Australian privacy law with respect to such collection.
Verma, Arpita, Dal Pont, Gino and Nielsen, Jane, Personal Information Collection Via Video Games: Australian Privacy Law Implications (2025) 46(2) Adelaide Law Review 332.
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