Loot boxes are now regulated in the UK, for children at least.
The UK's gaming industry trade association recently agreed to place a set of principles to protect children from the habits loot boxes in gaming help form.
The UK is the latest country to set laws/regulations against loot boxes in general or for a limited audience like children; Japan, China, the Netherlands, and Belgium have placed laws against them and its other forms, per Screen Rant.
Loot Boxes Are Not For Kids, Vulnerable People
The UKIE, the UK game industry's trade association, announced it recently unveiled 11 industry principles alongside the government as part of "improved protections for children, young people and adults" following concerns raised about loot boxes.
The trade association believes that loot boxes should be unavailable to children unless their parents/guardians enable them and that players should have access to spending controls and transparent information to support what it calls "safe gameplay."
The 11 Principles the trade association made following extensive engagement with DCMS, other government authorities, academics, third-party advocacy groups, and consumer groups reflect that increasing player protections and transparency is a shared responsibility across the entire video games sector.
The 11 Principles
The 11 principles dictate that there should be technological controls to restrict anyone under 18 from acquiring a loot box without the consent of a parent/guardian, and that game developers should disclose if loot boxes are present in their video games before gamers purchase them.
Should there be any loot boxes, developers must clearly display the probability of players receiving an item from the list of possible rewards before gamers open them. Game developers must also present loot boxes in an easily understandable manner to promote fair and responsible play.
The Principles also cover lenient refund policies for gamers, allowing people, especially the parents/guardians of children accidentally spending their money to buy loot boxes to get their money back. They also state that game developers must communicate and coordinate with researchers, parents, third-party organizations, and more to promote responsible gaming and spending on loot boxes.
Gamers need not worry about their game developers sharing sensitive and personal information. Researchers are expected to adhere to the principles of open science while respecting data privacy and confidentiality.
Video game developers are also expected to tackle the unauthorized external sale of items acquired from Loot Boxes for real money and continue to invest in IP protection to combat such sales.
Last but not least, video game developers are expected to work with the UK government and other relevant stakeholders to determine if these principles are effective over a 12-month implementation period.
Why These Principles Matter
Loot boxes have become a staple in modern gaming, AAA or otherwise. You may recall that loot boxes and their other forms are microtransactions designed to maximize revenue in a video game as much as possible, giving gamers random items in exchange for real-world money or for a significant amount of in-game currency (earned or purchased with in-game or real-world money).
This monetization scheme capitalizes on a gamer's fear of missing out by artificially creating urgency or their desire to enjoy the game more/have an easier time completing it. It would then compel gamers to spend more money to increase their chances to get their desired item whenever they become available, creating gambling habits that might be too difficult for them to overcome later.
This habit-forming aspect is especially dangerous to children because they are still in their formative years. If they form a gambling habit from video games, they might financially ruin themselves just to get what they want.
