Microtransaction have a continuation

If you recently read about our Battlefront II Microtransactions article and the associated case that deals with whether lootboxes are a type of gambling or not, we have another message for you. The case has been dealt with as part of a reddit or eventually with developers of the game. But now other people are involved in the whole situation that could cause major problems for developers in the future.

Star Wars Battlefront II

Already there are voices from the US, Belgium and France, which are demanding certain legislative regulations because the lootboxes may be so-called online gambling. The Belgian authorities have already checked Battlefront II and have come up against some specificities that suggest that it is a gambling. It is important to point out that these are factors in the spending of money and child safety. You know, you are buying chests for real money and expecting a huge prize, and you do not even know that you are buying the hare in a sack. Within these trusses there should be regulations that should affect the whole Europe. However, this solution may not achieve its goal and it may be a long run.

Politicians agree, that the introduction of such regulations in Belgium can be very difficult. Because of the lack of strategy and vision, complications can occur and, in general, overall legislative changes are generally very slow. But there is also a counterargument to truffles in Battlefront II, as the British law says, getting not a specific thing is a hazard, but in the game players get content into the game.

Star Wars Battlefront 2

It is also very interesting that the case came up with the advent of Battlefront II, because many games are so-called lootboxes from which you get content into the game, but you also do not know in advance what the chest will offer. There are many such microtransactions, but we can also talk about whether the Battlefront II game suffers from this case.

What can you expect in the future? Let's say, nothing, which will be the easiest way. Another option is to change the way the game content is sold. There are also solutions that change the rating of games, so some games will not be sold to teenagers under 18 years of age. The most complicated way is to change legislation and enact regulations against game developers who are introducing microtransactions to their game.

Let's also mention Chris Lee's statement, which talks about the impact of gambling on minors.

This game is a Star Wars-themed online casino designed to lure kids into spending money; it’s a trap. This is something we need to address to ensure that particularly kids who are underage, who are not psychologically and emotionally mature enough to be able to gamble – which is why gambling is prohibited under 21 – are protected from being trapped into these cycles which have compelled many folks to spend thousands of dollars in gaming fees online.

We’re looking at legislation this coming year which could prohibit the sale of these games to folks who are underage in order to protect families, as well as prohibiting different kinds of mechanisms in those games. We’ve been talking with several other states as well – legislators there who are looking at the same thing. This is the appropriate time to make sure these issues are addressed before this becomes the new norm for every game

Chris Lee - Hawaii State Representative

The future of lootboxes is uncertain.