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Don't tip streamers, don't top up games, and don't place orders on impulse

  • Moderate value
  • Evidence B
  • Saves money
  • Free
  • Takes minutes
  • Some willpower

In plain words

Domestic game players spend about 480 CNY a year each on games on average, and once spent it is basically not recoverable. The law only returns money that minors spent without their parents' consent, and there is no such provision for adults. The least effortful method is to set up defenses ahead of time: turn off password-free payment, set per-payment and daily limits, and unlink your payment methods.

Cost

Free. Spend a few minutes on three things: turn off password-free payment, set per-payment and daily limits, and delete the payment methods linked in the platform. The hard part is holding back in the moment from tapping.

What you get

This is a large expense. In 2024, actual sales revenue of China's game market was 325,783,000,000 (3257.83亿) CNY, with 674,000,000 (6.74亿) users, about 480 CNY per person (calculated by dividing the two numbers before it). Money spent is basically not recoverable. There is only one exception: for tips and top-ups made by a person with limited capacity for civil conduct (here meaning a minor) without the guardian's consent, when the guardian asks for a refund, "the people's court shall support it." There is no such provision for adults' own tips and top-ups. Also, minors may play online games only on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays, for 1 hour a day from 20:00 to 21:00 (China, 2020 and 2021)

Notes

Rated B because no one has directly measured "how much you save by not tipping," and all we have is industry-wide totals for games. The two tricks of turning off password-free payment and setting limits are practical experience, and on their own they would rate C. The text of Articles 19 and 145 of the Civil Code (民法典) is quoted word for word in §5.9 (children's phone top-ups and tips). This is not investment advice.

Evidence grade
B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.
Sources
  1. 国家新闻出版署 (2024). 今年中国游戏市场收入超 3257 亿元创新高（中国音数协游戏工委《2024 年中国游戏产业报告》）. https://www.nppa.gov.cn/xxfb/ywdt/202412/t20241216_877445.html
  2. 最高人民法院 (2020). 关于依法妥善审理涉新冠肺炎疫情民事案件若干问题的指导意见（二）（法发〔2020〕17 号，第 9 条）. https://www.court.gov.cn/zixun/xiangqing/230181.html
  3. 国家新闻出版署 (2021). 关于进一步严格管理 切实防止未成年人沉迷网络游戏的通知（国新出发〔2021〕14 号）. https://www.nppa.gov.cn/xxfb/tzgs/202108/t20210830_666285.html

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 5, tip 8. This section is about money and spending. It is general information, not financial or investment advice. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer