UK government decides not to ban game loot boxes after consultation
The UK government has decided to forego regulating loot boxes in games under current gambling regulations, instead stating that it would discuss industry-led measures on the matter.
Fortnite
After a 22-month investigation of loot boxes in the country, UK Culture Minister Nadine Dorries said that the country would not be moving to ban the in-app or in-game monetization feature, The Guardian reported Monday.
Loot boxes are a common feature in many games and apps. They allow customers to exchange real money for in-game rewards and special items, but are often compared to gambling because consumers don't know what items they will get in a box.
Other countries, like Belgium, have banned loot boxes. Similar efforts have been proposed in the US, but have failed to gain any ground.
Back in 2020, Apple was hit with a class action lawsuit claiming that it encouraged addictive behavior and gambling because it allowed loot boxes within games. The iPhone maker successfully fended off the lawsuit earlier in 2022.
Although there won't be a blanket ban on loot boxes in the UK, regulators in the country said they would pursue tougher "industry-led" rules.
"Our view is that it would be premature to take legislative action without first pursuing enhanced industry-led measures to deliver protections for children and young people and all players," the UK consultation reads.
Read on AppleInsider
Fortnite
After a 22-month investigation of loot boxes in the country, UK Culture Minister Nadine Dorries said that the country would not be moving to ban the in-app or in-game monetization feature, The Guardian reported Monday.
Loot boxes are a common feature in many games and apps. They allow customers to exchange real money for in-game rewards and special items, but are often compared to gambling because consumers don't know what items they will get in a box.
Other countries, like Belgium, have banned loot boxes. Similar efforts have been proposed in the US, but have failed to gain any ground.
Back in 2020, Apple was hit with a class action lawsuit claiming that it encouraged addictive behavior and gambling because it allowed loot boxes within games. The iPhone maker successfully fended off the lawsuit earlier in 2022.
Although there won't be a blanket ban on loot boxes in the UK, regulators in the country said they would pursue tougher "industry-led" rules.
"Our view is that it would be premature to take legislative action without first pursuing enhanced industry-led measures to deliver protections for children and young people and all players," the UK consultation reads.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
So-called "Consumable" IAPs (In-App Purchases) is the App Store model that enables loot boxes and the ability to spend infinite amounts of real money on a game. The psychology is very deliberate and harmful: you can never truly win because there's always someone who's as addicted with more money and has spent more than you to level up, so it creates a loop-cycle of addicted individuals trying to out-compete and therefore out-spend one another. Loot boxes take that exploitative model even further and well into gambling territory. It's sick.
If the courts don't stop it, then Apple should. But of course, the apps make far too much for Apple due to their commission, so they won't. I guess being a multi-trillion dollar company isn't enough for them. They have to try to suck money out of addicted gamers and children using mummy's credit card, sometimes costing thousands before parents notice..
You should progress through the game and get more advanced as you go by experience. If you clear a level and find a loot box with a new weapon, or spell, or shield, or even a pile of gold, fine. But to just be able to come in and buy top line kit as a newby is just wrong. It’s like the high school kid that gets his license and then daddy buys him a Ferrari. They don’t appreciate it because they didn’t put in the work to get it. There’s an old joke about some greenhorn being “all hat and no cattle”. That’s what these people are. They bought there way in, but they cheated to get there.
I agree that Apple should do the right thing and ban such features — when the money passes through their system. They are complicit as a result.
Parents should help and guide their children when using internet. Adult should knows how to wisely use their money.
How about Terminating unwanted cells, the government is involved in everything don’t stop now……
In time I think action will be taken. As the article mentions, Belgium has already taken action, and as awareness grows then more will be done to limit these methods and practices. The games are deliberately addictive and allow people to spend an infinite amount of money. They use many of the same tactics as poker machines. It's hilarious if you think that government is not supposed to take action that results in a fairer, more just, safer, and more prosperous society. That is, I argue, entirely their raison d'être. It's a bold position to suggest or argue otherwise, but each to their own I guess.
And as someone who is not a said victim can I say this: gaming existed long before these ultra-predatory practices, and did just fine. These methods only harm the gaming industry and give it a bad name. They make it harder for decent developers to get the publicity and recognition they deserve. And the only ones that benefit are the rich CEOs, executives and shareholders of the disgusting companies that do it, and the publishers like Apple who take their cut. Again, it's bold position to take to defend them. It's not a position I'd be proud of.