US Senator Demands Government Oversight of Predatory “Loot Boxes” in Video Games

[Megalith]

Senator Maggie Hassan is spearheading the call for government oversight of video game loot boxes. She has written to the ESRB urging for new warning labels and petitioned the FTC to look into gaming and how loot boxes can spur addiction in children.

The gambling addiction community was heartened by Hassan’s step. “Loot boxes in video games are a dangerous and predatory form of gambling being marketed directly to kids,” Les Bernal, national director of Stop Predatory Gambling, told The Intercept. “Their sole purpose is to extract more money out of young people’s pockets.

 

[vegeta535]

I fully support a AO rating on any game that has paid loot boxes and MT.

 

[viscountalpha]

Loot boxes, dlc that is cut out of a game, online stupid garbage? I stopped playing and I couldn't be happier.

 

[Ualdayan]

Do you trust that the government knows enough about games that should they write a law or regulation they will understand the nuances between why gamers hate paying to get a random item in game, but are ok with paying to play the game with the goal of getting random items? Eg, the difference between somebody spending $15 a month to get random items in game that they want, like EA loot boxes, versus somebody else spending $15 a month on World of Warcraft with the goal of getting random items in game to drop so they can loot it.

 

[DeathFromBelow]

Do you trust that the government knows enough about games that should they write a law or regulation they will understand the nuances...

Blah blah blah accountability. If the ESRB/industry doesn't deal with this gambling problem then values-focused congress critters will, and you wont like what they come up with.

 

[OutOfPhase]

Bingo. There is pressure from people to do something, and if there is no self-regulation, then people who do not know what they are doing will in fact do something because it will be popular. And that's all they really care about.

 

[Flogger23m]

Knowing the government it will go too fart and hurt game studios in regards to DLC, but I would certainly like the paid loot box and "roll the dice" style unlocks to go away.

 

[Mad Maxx]

Loot boxes.

So comforting to know our government officials care about the true threats to the security and prosperity of the American people.

 

[Ualdayan]

Knowing the government it will go too fart and hurt game studios in regards to DLC, but I would certainly like the paid loot box and "roll the dice" style unlocks to go away.

I don't like them - but, well, do you remember those passes they tried doing for awhile where you had to register a one use code in order to do multiplayer and EA was hoping down the road if somebody bought it used they would also pay for a multiplayer pass? Everybody hated those too. Remember how we got those to go away? Everybody stopped buying them. No sales, not worth the effort anymore, so EA stopped doing it. We just need to convince people to stop spending money on loot boxes, and they'll go away just like the multiplayer passes did.

 

[viper1152012]

I am for games being required to have an advertised logo for loot boxes.... However...

I do not want a rule for content censorship because of the slippery slope.

 

[DF-1]

i find it idiotic that people call on ESRB to do something.

ESRB is made up of companies that ARE doing something, they're the ones with the fucking lootboxes and microtrans-nickle and diming.

 

[Merc1138]

i find it idiotic that people call on ESRB to do something.

ESRB is made up of companies that ARE doing something, they're the ones with the fucking lootboxes and microtrans-nickle and diming.

You realize that the ESRB was the industry regulating itself with pending government intervention back in the 90s, right? They did it then, they can do it now.

 

[Azphira]

 

[Chupachup]

The best oversight and censorship of paid loot boxes and microtransactions is the players voting with their wallets by not buying boxes, performing other microtransactions in the game or simply not purchasing or playing games with this content. Publishers spending millions to pump and dump a half assed product just for the sake of sucking up the addition purchases will find themselves in trouble and rethinking their dubious mentality if those millions become an overnight loss repeatedly enough!

 

[bugleyman]

Loot boxes.

So comforting to know our government officials care about the true threats to the security and prosperity of the American people.

Hey, it could be worse! They could be issuing proclamations about the dangers of porn- oh wait.

 

[bugleyman]

The best oversight and censorship of paid loot boxes and microtransactions is the players voting with their wallets by not buying boxes, performing other microtransactions in the game or simply not purchasing or playing games with this content. Publishers spending millions to pump and dump a half assed product just for the sake of sucking up the addition purchases will find themselves in trouble and rethinking their dubious mentality if those millions become an overnight loss repeatedly enough!

True. Unfortunately, there is always that guy who buys the loot boxes.

 

[OutOfPhase]

So if native americans make a game, can it still have loot boxes?

 

[[21CW]killerofall]

I fully support a AO rating on any game that has paid loot boxes and MT.

That would actually be very effective way of resolving the problem of loot boxes as an AO rating is basically a death note for any major release. I despise micotransactions, but an AO rating is not appropriate for that. Loot boxes yes, but not micotransactions.

No need for a new rating, AO works just fine (better actually).

 

[Lakados]

Loot boxes are a mulit-billion dollar per year thing. What government wouldn’t want “oversight” over that?

 

[Derangel]

You realize that the ESRB was the industry regulating itself with pending government intervention back in the 90s, right? They did it then, they can do it now.

And since then the ESA (the folks that run the ESRB) have turned into an anti-consumer lobbyist organization for the game industry. They will fight tooth and nail to prevent anything seen as pro-consumer and anti-publisher from happening in the game industry. They're no better than the RIAA and MPAA.

 

[mavrocket]

No no no. This would just be the beginning of government censorship of games.

Do not let your hatred of lootboxes and PTW blind your judgement, internet mob.

 

[MavericK]

That would actually be very effective way of resolving the problem of loot boxes as an AO rating is basically a death note for any major release. I despise micotransactions, but an AO rating is not appropriate for that. Loot boxes yes, but not micotransactions.

No need for a new rating, AO works just fine (better actually).

Well, to be clear, loot boxes purchased with microtransactions is what needs to be reviewed. Loot boxes in games with no monetization aren't the problem.

 

[wirerogue]

you can always count on our government to take swift action when there is something endangering our children.

 

[Armenius]

And since then the ESA (the folks that run the ESRB) have turned into an anti-consumer lobbyist organization for the game industry. They will fight tooth and nail to prevent anything seen as pro-consumer and anti-publisher from happening in the game industry. They're no better than the RIAA and MPAA.

The ESA has always been an industry advocate, not a consumer one.

 

[Eickst]

If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stopsmoving, subsidize it.

Can't wait for the 'poor kids can't afford loot boxes so we need to subsidize them' movement.

 

[kydsid]

Do you trust that the government knows enough about games that should they write a law or regulation they will understand the nuances between why gamers hate paying to get a random item in game, but are ok with paying to play the game with the goal of getting random items? Eg, the difference between somebody spending $15 a month to get random items in game that they want, like EA loot boxes, versus somebody else spending $15 a month on World of Warcraft with the goal of getting random items in game to drop so they can loot it.

Its not as if Congress will actually write the regulation. They will ask ESRB to write the thing if it comes to that. This is just the first step in the modern legisative process. ABC needs to update the cartoon, because the first step is to tell the industry to self regulate, then you tell them to write a regulation for you to introduce.

 

[Seventyfive]

Considering it's gambling, the one thing I would like would be for drop tables to be fully disclosed for everything. Unlike normal gaming in a casino where it's clear what the chances of dice are, or the chances on roulette, the drop chances are fully obscured and proprietary for many games. I'm fine with people having the ability to buy loot boxes, especially for cosmetics, but let people know what they are paying for.