Why game and social media companies make it difficult to delete your account

To reduce the temptation of playing it again, I tried to delete my account for a video game that has claimed 1,400 precious hours of my life (and over $100 of my money). But they don't make it easy to delete accounts. And that's by design.

In the case of a wargaming.net account, it's not as simple as logging into your profile online and clicking a "Delete My Account" link. You must submit a support ticket explicitly asking them to delete your account along with the following information:

• The ISP (Internet Service Provider) at the time the account was created
• The IP location (city) where the account was created
• Proof of any purchases made within the last 12 months

In my case, I was lucky I remembered where I was 6 years ago, which ISP I was using, and had only made one purchase in the past 12 months that was relatively easy to track down.

I am sure the justification they give for having these requirements is for security purposes - to prevent someone with malicious intent from hacking someone's account and deleting it without their permission. But that's a lie.

Liars

Upon successful submission of all the required information, I received a reply from a support rep informing me that my account had been "suspended" for 45 business days - not 45 days, 45 business days, which is 2 months - after which it would be permanently deleted. I can still remove the suspension and reinstate my account at any time during those 2 months.

If they don't delete your account right away, but force you to wait 2 months, why don't they just provide an easy-to-find link on your online profile so you can delete the account yourself? If someone hacks your account and clicks that link, it's very easy to have an auto-generated email sent to you informing you that your account has been suspended and that you have 45 business days to reinstate it. If the hacker also changes your email address, it's very easy to have an auto-generated email sent to the old email address informing you that your email was changed and that if you did not authorize the change you can contact support.

I insisted, twice, that wargaming.net immediately delete my account. I even asked my request to be escalated to a supervisor. They claim they do not have the ability to do so - that "the system needs time" to process my request.

Absolute hogwash.

I'm not a game designer, but I do know more than the average person about "systems". I work with databases every day. I assure you, for someone with the right permissions and knowledge, deleting records from a database is a very simple affair.

Surely those who design and maintain "the system" at wargaming.net have the ability to change whatever they want about it whenever they want.

They are liars. And I am calling them out as such.

Social media, too

I have gone through the process of deleting social media accounts in the past and they do not make it easy. They intentionally obscure and make the deletion process difficult so that you must search through support documentation or contact support directly.

Those who are persistent and find out how to delete their accounts will be encouraged to "suspend" or "deactivate" them instead - with the possibility of reactivating them in the future - rather than delete them permanently.

In the case of Facebook, if you log in from any device after you "deactivate" your account - and even for a period of time after you request it to be permanently deleted - your account is reactivated and you have to start the process over.

Not an isolated problem

As of the time I write this, 13 of the top 20 grossing apps in the iPhone App Store are games.  4 of them are video streaming apps. 2 of them are music streaming apps. 1 of them is a social media dating app. I'm sure looking at the  Google Play Store would yield similar results.

Nothing is accidental about the way games and many social media apps are designed. The designers understand how your brain works and, from the very first line of code, they intend for their apps to capture as much of your attention as possible. The more of your time and attention they claim, the more money they make through targeted ads and/or in-app purchases. So of course they will do anything they can to discourage or prevent you from completely and permanently quitting.

There is mounting evidence that video game addiction is a real thing. Social media addiction, too.

For someone like me, who is trying to break these addictions and change habits, knowing in the back of my mind that I have 2 entire months before one of my game accounts is permanently deleted is only undermining my attempt to change.

Take control

You can stop this. You can take control. You can reclaim your time - reclaim your life - from those who are exploiting you for financial gain. Here are some things I've been trying that have been working:

Find the culprits. Identify the apps and games that are robbing you of your precious time and stealing your attention away from what is most important to you. You know which ones they are.

Delete them. Delete those apps games from your devices. You don't need them. You never did.

If necessary, delete your online accounts, too. If the continued existence of an online social media or game account is temptation enough to lure you back, delete them. Be persistent. Push through the barriers they will try to put in your way and do what needs to be done to make these accounts go away forever. If they force you into a mandatory waiting period before the account is permanently deleted, make sure all apps are deleted from all your devices and that you are also logged out of those accounts on all the browsers on your devices.

If you must use social media, use it through a web browser. And log out when you're done. Social media can provide some value when it comes staying in touch with friends and loved ones. But every time you try to access social media and see that login screen, you will have to take the time to log in. Use that time to ask yourself if you really NEED to be checking it now or if you can wait. 99% of the time, you can wait. Limit yourself to checking social media 2-3 times a day, max (I'm shooting once every couple days or once a week). You will be amazed at how much more free time you have and how much better you feel about life.

Talk to your family and friends. Tell them you're trying to make a lifestyle change and break some bad habits. Ask for their support and encouragement. They'll understand and help you. They've probably secretly been wanting to make similar changes, themselves. Maybe you can make those changes together!

Replace the old habits with better ones. If you don't do this, the other suggestions won't work. Be intentional about it. Make a list of what's truly important to you and do that. Read those books you've been meaning to read for so long. Play with your children. Spend time with your spouse. Go for walks. Volunteer. Whatever you do, don't leave a void in your routine, because you will be tempted to fill it with the old habits you are trying to break or with new habits that aren't much better than the old ones.

I'm working on these suggestions right along side you and I still have much digital decluttering to do. But I feel so much better since I started! It motivates me to keep going.

Also read: How Billionaires Stole My Mind, Most Emergencies Aren't