Loot Boxes possibly deemed gambling by Belgium / Hawaii

[Saboteur-6]

So I'm not sure if people have been following the controversy around EA's Battlefront 2 and their loot box driven progression system, but it's brought to light some prevalent game design tactics and the legal implications of predatory practices. This might not seem like a big deal but there's finally some legal precedent gaining traction to help protect consumers from the way game publishers monetize in-game micro transactions. It's been a personal pet peeve of mine in games (monetizing RNG and preying / shaping gambling addiction) for years and I'm relieved to see some government regulation starting to come into the conversation.

http://www.pcgamer.com/belgium-says-loot-boxes-are-gambling-wants-them-banned-in-europe/

 

[HellblazerHawkman]

Some locality in Australia got on board too. Love seeing people online upset about this, that somehow not being able to pay more for a random chance at a thing that was in another game of that series for free is bad for them. It's not even a generational thing, Battlefront 2015 had stuff in it that is now locked behind lootboxes in Battlefront 2017

 

[Braindead]

When I first bought CS:GO I spent like $20-$30 on loot boxes, it was my first experience with that shit. When I started thinking about it... "yeaaaah this is gambling."

 

[Saboteur-6]

Some locality in Australia got on board too. Love seeing people online upset about this, that somehow not being able to pay more for a random chance at a thing that was in another game of that series for free is bad for them. It's not even a generational thing, Battlefront 2015 had stuff in it that is now locked behind lootboxes in Battlefront 2017

There's so many predatory gambling practices that have crept into game design that it's sickening.

 

[smile]

Belgium with dah smart stuff, if they can kill loot boxes they'll be my new favorite country next to florida

 

[GLoRToR]

It's the same Belgium that mocked terrorism and got literally owned in the face.
Let's just say they aren't smart people.

 

[Invincible Salads]

thank god, get rid of this lootbox shit

 

[Jaku2011]

I've always been fine with Overwatch's cosmetic only boxes as that means all dlc maps and characters are free. But what EA did with Battlefront was going waaaaay too far.

 

[Tanno]

A similar shit happened some years ago in ours retro era. Politics never get along with the videogames. This shit happens, because they think of them as a system of the casino games. If real money is involved, so will the politicians.

Back then in Greece, there was a ruckus about the casino games along with the videogames. Thanks to this mess, C. Semites ("Greek" ex-prime minister) stated that the casino games along with the videogames be banned. He neved differentiated them. 1 year later, some arcade shops closed, then a riot from the gamers made it possible to force them to take back this "legislature". 2 years later, they took it back, and thus a new rule was made. Only the casino games to be banned in the arcade shops.

Let's wait and see how Belgium and Hawaii's decision will affect the videogames in the future.

 

[IrishMantis]

Good I hope the rest of the World Follows. It's the new way for Devs to get money out of your pockets for already in game stuff