The UK
House of Lords has made a ruling and now states that video game loot
boxes are gambling.
BBC News
reported on July 2nd that loot boxes and ”the same
definition should apply to any other in-game item paid for with real
money, such as FIFA player packs” fall under the Gambling Act and
that it must be dealt with as such. The Government has said that the
Gambling Act will be amended, but the House of Lords stated that the
dealing with loot boxes mustn't wait.
Quote: "If
a product looks like gambling and feels like gambling, it should be
regulated as gambling." End quote.
Apparently
the UK government wasn't fooled by euphemisms like ”surprise
mechanics” any more than the average gamer was. What this means for
gaming in general remains to be seen.
In the UK,
the minimum age for any kind of gambling is 18, which would punch a
huge hole in all games that market themselves as ”E for Everyone”
if they contain any kinds of what will be legally considered gambling
in the future. Some publishers have made halfhearted attempts to
alleviate this already, mostly by mumbling about parental controls
but with these new regulations unless games like FIFA changes up,
they will likely find themselves rated “M for Mature”, a
certification that is usually reserved for those games that feature
full nudity or sexual acts. Many stores refuse to even stock M rated
games for fear of the morale brigade.
Will this
ruling mean the price of games is going to go up? Maybe, impossible
to tell at the moment. Companies did try to raise prices a few years
ago, but found too much backlash and lowered them again. I for one
wouldn't be surprised at all if they do wring their hands and claim
that it is all just too expensive. Here's a thought in that case:
maybe they could learn to use their money a bit more efficiently
instead? Maybe their CEO's don't need $30-50 million a year before
bonuses? Perhaps they could use more modern and effective marketing
strategies that cost considerably less than $150 million per game?
I'm no economist but it strikes me that the big boys waste as much as
they make.
My hope is
that more countries would follow suit and if they do then maybe, just
maybe some of these companies will be forced to go back to making
good games instead of barely disguised casinos and Skinner boxes.
Unfortunately, they will likely find some way to weasel their way
around this instead. But, as always time will tell.
Many
gamers were happy to hear the news of this ruling, but many are angry
and some are scared. My question to anyone who thinks this ruling is
unfair and stupid is this:
When has a
game ever been improved by loot boxes?
Do they
really make games more fun? More exciting? No, they don't, no matter
how many times the companies yell about “a sense of achievement and
pride” because you are able to use a credit card.
But as I
said, time will tell. There will be more to talk about in the future,
I'm sure. But for now, I shall be content to wish you all a great
week, and I shall see you again next time!
BBC article: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53253195
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