A Scottish academic, who has called for the UK Government to make a gambling reform is now supporting a stricter regime to be imposed on video games that lure young people into spending money on so-called loot boxes.
The social scientist at Glasgow University, Dr Heather Wardle, has said that, in her opinion, loot boxes should be age-restricted for individuals under the age of 18, after a study she had held suggested that children and teenagers feel controlled by game developers who only encourage them to spend money through buying special packages for the games they play.
As Casino Guardian previously revealed, loot boxes are special in-game items that often appear as crates, chests or card packs and are available to players in return for real money. Loot boxes provide special items that could enhance the gameplay by providing players with rare items, weapons or special “skins” for their characters. However, their opponents have been claiming that loot boxes are a form of gambling, as players cannot be sure what items they will get by such a crate until they pay for it and open it.
The UK Government is considering bringing serious reforms to the Gambling Act of 2005, so Dr Wardle is providing evidence to the digital, culture media and sport committee following the concerns over the psychological and structural features because of which loot boxes are considered a form of gambling.
Loot Boxes Experience Some Hard Time in Australia, Too
Some changes associated with loot boxes could be pending in Australia, too. In August, Andrew Wilkie, an independent member of the lower house of the Australian Parliament, is set to introduce a piece of legislation seeking to fully ban the sale of so-called loot boxes to underage individuals.
As revealed by the Daily Telegraph, the full text of the proposed bill has not been provided yet but Mr Wilkie shared that his bill would guarantee that loot boxes are no longer provided to underage individuals through the classification guidelines. According to him, such a piece of legislation would warn parents to be more careful when allowing their children to purchase such in-game items.
For some time, Andrew Wilkie MP has been saying that video games offering loot boxes were grooming children, preparing them for future gambling and insisted on implementing an R18+ rating to such games. Under the proposed changes, a new notification would be added so that games featuring loot boxes would be accompanied by an advisory as part of their classification rating.
The Classification Amendment regarding loot boxes is set to be put before the lower house of the Parliament in the middle of August. For the time being, it remains unknown whether the proposed measure would get the necessary support in order to gain passage through the House of Representatives after being introduced by Mr Wilkie.
- Author
Daniel Williams
