Here it comes.
The Federal Trade Commission has announced that they’ll begin investigating loot boxes, with a focus on how they affect children. Junior New Hampshire Senator Maggie Hassan raised the topic with the FTC commissioners at a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation subcommittee hearing, among other topics.
We discussed loot boxes, which allow in-game purchases with real currency for surprise winnings, and most of you agreed that this is an area that could use additional oversight by the FTC. Loot boxes are now endemic in the video game industry and are present in everything from casual smart phone games to the newest high-budget video game releases.
Loot boxes will represent a $50 billion industry by the year 2022 according to the latest research estimates. Children may be particularly susceptible to engaging with these in-game purchases which are often considered integral components of video games.
Sen. Hassan went on to cite research being done in Great Britain on the matter. Specifically, that said research suggests that, with children, loot boxes may promote an addiction to gambling.
Given the seriousness of this issue, I think it is in fact time for the FTC to investigate these mechanisms to ensure that children are being adequately protected and to educate parents about potential addiction or other negative impacts of these games.
Naturally, a number of European nations like Belgium and the Netherlands are in the process of banning loot boxes. That said, New Zealand, the UK, and Ireland don’t currently consider loot boxes to be gambling.
Source: IGN
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