Discussion

Games with loot boxes to get minimum 16 age rating across Europe

nba456_: I never understood why video game lootboxes get regulated while real-life lootboxes like pokemon cards don't.

yacin: should probably just ban gambling for children but seems like a good first step.

benoau: Because in real life the store clerk won't let a child spend $1000 on their parents card, but a video game will let a child do it in less than an hour and consider that a success and try to understand how to stimulate another child to do so.

idiotsecant: When you buy a pokemon card at least you get a card

mikkupikku: Do they let 16 year olds gamble in casinos in Europe? Odd to ban it for kids but only some kids.

idiotsecant: Pretty much all of Europe is 18-21.

mikkupikku: Those are gambling too, and were criticize as such not just now but also when they were new (but people ignored that criticism because pokemon was hype and adults complaining about trendy things are always uncool and ignored.)

steele: This is the same argument Valve is presenting.

teeray: There’s something to be said about the visibility of gambling as a signal to people that someone may have a problem. Gambling on your phone just looks like being on your phone. It even improves access to the addiction. Needing to go to a casino looks a lot different, provides some friction, and could spur intervention. The same could be said about loot boxes vs buying Pokemon cards in a store.

hsuduebc2: Ok, so we all agreed that it is gambling. But for some reason we let kids gamble but only after they reach sixteen? This feels weird.

erxam: Okay? How will this actually change anything?I don't think I have ever paid attention to a single age rating in my entire life. Does anyone do outside of fundamentalist parents who wouldn't let kids play most video games anyways?Very spiritually European move.What regulators should do is focus on easily applicable percentage-based fines. Make sure it's not just another line item.

gmadsen: Physicality. You don’t even own digital games, let alone cosmetics for your digital game license.

djtango: Pokemon cards are addictive and fun but they're kind of analogue. Loot boxes are more like slot machines - they have flashing lights, animations and jingles to hook you in deeper. And because the lootboxes are in game they can be tuned in frequency and payout just right to keep you playing in a way boring cards could never be (beyond just boring probabilities)

jayd16: I will say card packs are somewhat useful for drafting formats where you need a sealed pack of random unknown cards.Just ripping packs hurts my soul. What a waste.

pdpi: If you're forbidding people from doing things they could do yesterday, it's best to be a little conservative with your scope.16-yo kids might do some amount of part time work, and should at least have enough of a concept of money to understand why pressing the "more loot boxes" button is a Bad Idea. They're also old enough that they might potentially have their own bank account and their own card, which then caps the damages to their allowance.

cortesoft: Well, this is going along with all the new requirements for companies to actually verify ages, so it won't be up to the parents.

hedora: I wish they'd add mandatory labeling. I'm over 16 and have no interest in games with loot boxes.

EQmWgw87pw: Because neither loot boxes nor Pokémon cards are actually that addicting. There is no known link to actual gambling and these mechanics. The reason loot boxes get regulated at all is because people simply don’t like them, and they scream and cry for someone to fix it. Purely emotional response. Very bad precedent.

TheAceOfHearts: Pokemon cards have gone full circle, GameStop now has an online service where you can gamble on cards digitally just like lootboxes. You buy a roll at different price points to win a PSA graded card from a set of probabilities, and then you can sell it back for 90% market value to GameStop or have them ship it to you.The proliferation of gambling over so many domains has radicalized me against it in a way that I didn't think would've been possible a few years ago.

tjpnz: So what's the issue then? The minimum is 16 - or are you proposing kids 15 and younger have the right to gamble?

koshergweilo: I feel like labeling is probably the best approach here. While I personally hate the business model of "Gatcha" type games and wouldn't mind if we banned lot boxes, it is a model does seem to work for a lot of people.I also think the odds should also be not only disclosed, but made prominent

charcircuit: That would require extra work to pass more legislation which has a chance to fail. I think it's better to do it all once instead of having to revisit the issue every couple years.

dietr1ch: Idk about pokemon cards, but I'm sure the wotc guys use something to make sniffing newly opened packs addicting.

tjpnz: Brain development of a 16 year old is at least further along than a 13 year old.

smelendez: That’s funny. I don’t think I’ve opened a pack of Magic cards in about 25 years and I can still remember the smell.

duskwuff: > "Gatcha" type gamesTypically spelled "gacha", although I have to admit that "gotcha" seems apt.

Twirrim: I guess it's not gambling, or it'd be covered by the UKs existing laws around gambling that set the minimum age to 18.

MiiMe19: With the rise of online storefronts and employees who just don't care I beg to differ.

edelbitter: This is not a regulators move. This is the industry slightly adjusting their recommendations to parents. Will this change anything? Maybe it will help the industry avoid being targeted by actual regulation.

philistine: Resale value protects The Pokémon Company. Your child spent all your money on Pokémon cards? Resell the cards. You've just realized your 15 years long obsession has broken your life? Resell the cards.Aggrieved parties can partly get restoration. That way there never is enough political momentum to legiferate them. Try to resell your Fortnite account and they close it.

Loot boxes are an in-game feature allowing players to buy random mystery items with real or virtual currency

rkagerer: Loot boxes are an in-game feature allowing players to buy random mystery items with real or virtual currencyThat's not how I use the term. I think of a loot box as a treasure chest or similar that you discover while exploring which, when opened, gives you some loot!On the other hand if you're talking about a package with a random assortment of stuff in it that you buy without knowing what's inside, I call that a "grab bag" or "mystery bundle".Am I too old? What games were primarily responsible for changing the vocabulary?

jcranmer: The term "loot box" has, since I want to say the early 2010s, referred to the mechanic described in the quote. It's hard for me to say what the earliest games were to create this mechanic, especially since its origin seems not to be in the traditional Western games but in East Asian games.The model is very strongly associated with the rise of "live service" gaming, with Overwatch and Battlefield being some of the more notorious offenders.

zeta0134: I started seeing this term come up everywhere when Overwatch first released. The common usage is much closer to mystery bundles as you describe, and regulators tend to be upset about them when real money gets involved. It feels an awful lot like gambling at that point.