The UK government has decided not to regulate video game mechanics, which has been associated with the “gambling problem” in numerous studies, and instead says it wants companies to self-regulate video games.
The British government is investigating “loot boxes”, video game mechanics that contain small digital stash purchases of random in-game items with various in-game values, and concludes that the game mechanics found in various games played by children are related to “gambling”. problems”.
However, despite such an outcome, the investigation said, the government should not take steps to regulate the practice, but instead allow video game companies to regulate the practice, as one expert put it, “effectively enabling the foxes to protect the chicken. coop
A UK government investigation has revealed more than a dozen studies linking the use of loot boxes used by major gaming franchises such as the following, according to a consultation published on Sunday. Fifa together Call of Duty – on the “gambling issue”, considering that such random video game assets cannot be purchased without parental consent and steps must be taken to ensure that all players have access to spending controls and transparent information that helps you control your spending.
However, while the study called for the implementation of these controls, it said video game companies should regulate the industry themselves and that the government should not act until a direct “causal relationship” between gaming addiction and gaming addiction was determined. loot boxes.
“Game developers, publishers and platforms operating in the UK must take responsibility for player safety and work together to find real industry solutions,” said Culture Minister Nadine Dorries, as the consultation process concludes. she said.
However, while the UK government seems happy with the finding, experts don’t seem satisfied, with experts suggesting that allowing the gaming industry to fix loot boxes will allow rogue players to thrive.
“Past research by the selection committee has clearly shown that some rogue gamers in the video game industry cannot be trusted to self-regulate when it comes to protecting players.” keeper Dr. David Zendl is a game expert at York University.
“By making both industry bodies responsible for arranging their loot boxes, [the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport] basically making sure the foxes are guarding the coops,” he continued.
“I don’t want to make laws. “I would have preferred sports organizations to come together and I asked them for a roundtable to discuss this,” said Culture and Sports Minister Nadine Dorries.
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) 23 April 2022
The loot box controversy that gained popularity in the late 2010s really peaked in the late 2010s when a scandal erupted in 2017 over Electronic Art’s alleged anti-consumer practices. Star Wars: Battlefront 2 The UK government has expressed interest in regulating in-app purchases, but Sunday’s result seems to indicate that authorities have yet to take action.
But the same cannot be said for Belgium, which decided to ban the app in 2018 after it was found that games that allow people to buy loot boxes with real money “violate gambling laws” within the country.
Other countries have also restricted loot boxes and similar mechanics: the Netherlands is now pushing for a complete ban on loot boxes, while Japan is introducing controls over training and also purchases called “gacha” – such as loot boxes. Players often use real or in-game money to purchase random items and/or characters for use in the game.
According to data published by the curious publication Eurogamer, at least three of the top five mobile games in the first quarter of 2022 were gacha games. The influence of the broadIt generated more than half a billion dollars in revenue for its Chinese owner miHoYo in the first three months of 2022.
Source: Breitbart
