The European Union may ban loot boxes in video games

For several years, various public initiatives have been working to ban loot boxes in video games. Currently, there is no single solution to this issue in the European Union, but in the near future, it may appear.

Lootboxes are secret presents in video games that contain random prizes in the form of bonus equipment, points, weapons, or other things that are important in a particular game. Players can purchase loot boxes for real money with no possibility of real gain. So they can be compared to a casino, but not to the full extent. For example, if you carefully read www.twinspinca.com, you can see that many of the bonuses in the casino are free, and the players do not need to pay for them.

Since the player does not know beforehand what the secret box contains, some governments have decided that loot boxes can be considered a kind of gambling, which means they need to be regulated properly, including the prohibition of their use by minors.

At the beginning of February, the European Parliament voted for a report on tougher control over the Loot Boxes: 577 for, 56 against, and 15 abstentions.

In addition to tougher measures against loot boxes, the report also states that the accumulation of in-game currency for sale or exchange can often be used to launder money, including from major fraud schemes. Therefore, such a move by the European Parliament also aims to determine whether there is any connection between video games and human rights violations.

If the report is adopted, major developers and publishers will be obliged to cooperate with the European Union to implement special mechanisms to combat money laundering and gaming disorders. In addition, developers will be required to avoid manipulative game design, which could result in addiction among players.

The report is not without its positives. The report states that the games industry as a whole provides a good platform and basis for the creation of works of art of a certain cultural value.

The European Parliament is already thinking about holding its annual video game awards ceremony at its headquarters in Brussels. If such a decision is made, it would not be the first such ceremony and would hardly eclipse the scope of The Game Awards, held since 2014.