The Loot Box Issue Needs More Information, Not Regulation

I hate the concept of loot boxes, even if they have so far failed to make their way to the kinds of video games that I enjoy (grand strategy, role-playing and sports simulations) but I still believe that they are a valid concept to use for the industry. This is why the ESRB and other regulatory bodies should move as quickly as possible to make sure that gamers are better informed about them, so that the video games universe is not targeted for further regulation by various governments.

Maggie Hassan, a Democratic Senator, is the most recent elected official to question the way loot boxes are presented to players, in a letter to the ESRB that Forbes quotes in full, and it comes after a number of other governments have expressed their interest in introducing regulation, including banning sale of video games powered by loot boxes to those under 21.

The argument, a solid if not perfect one, is that the mechanic is almost impossible to distinguish from gambling and should be treated as such. There are bans on the mechanic in China, which companies like Blizzard have worked around (the regulatory landscape might change and developers might be required to once again tweak the way “loot boxes” are delivered to players).

The easy response from the video game industry is to simply push back against the idea that politicians or bureaucracies have the power to regulate mechanics in their titles (some gamers might also join in, saying that how they use their money inside various titles is their own choice and should not be restricted).

But the more coherent long term position would be to accept that players (and parents, when it comes to users who are under the age of 18) should have information about loot boxes (and other microtransactions associated with video games) to inform their choice. Self-regulation, driven by the ESRB and other associated bodies, is the best way to make sure that the government stays away and that there’s a solid collaboration between developers, publishers and players for the good of the video game ecosystem.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.