As the discussion surrounding loot boxes in games heats up, more and more governments and organizations are joining the conversation. Those conversations have finally started turning from talk into action.The ESRB finally acknowledged the problem and committed to adding messaging to any games that contained in-game purchases (however, we wrote about why it’s not nearly enough). Hawaii introduced legislation that would place age restrictions on purchases of games with loot box mechanics and mandate messaging on those same games.
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner recently added an “Online Gambling” section to their parental guidance that has very specific references to loot boxes in games.
Some online games include activities and features that are normally associated with gambling?like ?loot? boxes, ?bundles?, ?crates? and ?cases? that provide a random chance to win virtual items, which can include an in-game currency. Many games operate on a ?freemium? model. Your child can access the basic game for free, but might need to purchase credits, keys or in-game items for additional content or to access special features, including the chance to win items in a loot box or crate. These items can also be acquired randomly, as a reward through gameplay, or exchanged between players.
In-game items can include an in-game currency, equipment, tools, weapons or ?skins?. Skins are used in some of the most popular games to cosmetically alter a player?s weapon, equip...