In 2019, the UK Parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Committee launched an inquiry into “addictive and immersive technologies”, where they investigated the effects of loot boxes in video games. Belgium’s gambling authority then declared loot boxes illegal under their gambling laws. They concluded that loot boxes in video games do fit the legal definition of gambling, as they combine “money and addiction” with a game of chance. There was so much backlash around how the loot boxes were implemented, Belgium’s gambling authority decided to look into how loot boxes work. Soon after the Battlefront II loot box controversy arose, EA decided to suspend all in-game purchases. Now the most downvoted comment in Reddit history, the response EA gave to fans certainly added fuel to the flames to get Governments around the world listening. There was a world-wide outrage over the fact that the loot box system made the game pay-to-win, which lead to EA’s infamous “sense of pride and accomplishment” response to fans on the Star Wars Battlefront subreddit. In late 2017, Star Wars Battlefront II’s controversial use of loot boxes for progression in the game made many gamers angry. The controversy that changed the opinions of loot boxes As younger players don’t fully grasp the value of real-world money, they tend to spend a lot more of it on video games, whilst not realising the effects it can have on their mental health and lives. Research shows that many children are being bullied and harassed into spending lots of money – usually their parent’s money, for not having the best legendary skins in the video game they are playing. The type of skin you have can also be some form of status symbol – especially when it comes to school children. He ultimately ended up regretting spending that amount of money and realised it was “not worth it.” This can rack up millions of pounds for publishers over the life span of the game.Īn example of overspending was when a man from the UK ended up spending over $10,000 in card packs on both FIFA 17 and FIFA 18 Ultimate Team modes. As the odds are never in the players favour, it can take hundreds of loot box purchases before they get a good reward. As players want a specific reward from a loot box, most will continue to purchase them until they get that desired reward. Game publishers love money and loot boxes are the easiest way to get a continuous stream of income. As a result, loot boxes are legally not classed as a form of gambling in most countries. However, despite loot boxes being the literal definition of gambling, many countries’ gambling legislations are outdated, so they do not include the use of loot boxes. Most of the time you are spending real world money for the chance (or betting) on getting something you want. ![]() ![]() By the definition of gambling, you are taking a risk of getting a desired result – which would be the intended reward you want from a loot box. Gamers who say that loot boxes are a form of gambling aren’t wrong.
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