BRUSSELS, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Videogame companies Epic

Games, Electronic Arts ( EA ), Roblox ( RBLX ) and four others

were hit with an EU consumer complaint on Thursday accusing them

of misleading gamers into spending money.

The move came amid rising concerns about children turning

into gaming addicts, with some parents claiming videogame makers

intentionally designed products that caused them to become

addicted to games.

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and 22 of its

members across Europe including in France, Germany, Italy and

Spain filed a complaint on Thursday with the European Commission

and the European Network of Consumer Authorities.

"BEUC's members have identified numerous cases where gamers

are misled into spending money. Regulators must act, making it

clear that even though the gaming world is virtual, it still

needs to abide by real-world rules," BEUC Director General

Agustin Reyna said in a statement.

"Today, premium in-game currencies are purposefully tricking

consumers and take a big toll on children. Companies are well

aware of children's vulnerability and use tricks to lure younger

consumers into spending more," he said.

The complaint also targets Microsoft's ( MSFT ) Activision

Blizzard, Mojang Studios, Supercell, which is majority-owned by

China's Tencent ( TCTZF ), and French peer Ubisoft.

The associations said they were concerned that consumers,

especially children, could not see the real cost of digital

items, leading them to over-spend, and that consumers were often

denied their rights when using premium in-game currencies.

Video Games Europe, whose members include Epic Games,

Roblox ( RBLX ), Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts ( EA ), Supercell and

Ubisoft, said the purchase of in-game currencies is a

well-established practice and well understood by players.

"Our members always respect European consumer laws in how

they offer these purchases," the lobby group said in a

statement.

"The PEGI Code of Conduct requires developers to ensure that

the real-world cost is clear and unambiguous at the point of

purchase of the in-game currency," it said, referring to the

Pan-European Game Information code.

Roblox ( RBLX ) referred to the Video Games Europe statement. The

other companies did not immediately respond to requests for

comment.