The UK government asserted that it would take action to limit the purveyance of loot boxes, at least without consent from a parent.
A press release posted to gov.uk stressed the adverse effects these purchases have not only on the game but also on those playing it. The report claimed that exposing and even promoting young gamers to gambling is dangerous, especially for those more prone to addiction. In the United States, the ESRB decided to issue warning labels for games that included loot boxes, though the UK feels that greater action should be taken. This response from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) considered more than 32,000 player survey responses and a review of academic studies on the topic.
"Games companies and platforms need to do more to ensure that controls and age restrictions are applied so that players are protected from the risk of gambling harms," Nadine Dorries, Secretary of State for the DCMS, elaborated. "Children should be free to enjoy gaming safely, whilst giving parents and guardians the peace of mind they need."
The DCMS has created a working group composed of gaming-related companies and associations to develop "industry-led measures" to address this issue of safety and transparency. The UK government is also launching the Video Games Research Framework to support this effort. The CEOs of the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (Ukie) and The Independent Game Developer's Association (Tiga), two regulatory bodies that will compose this new group, have supported the formation.
"TIGA believes that games businesses should aim to ensure that games are safe to use for all players," the company's CEO Dr. Richard Wilson OBE claimed. "In 2020, TIGA formally adopted its 5 Principles for Safeguarding Players, designed to embody the spirit of the approach that games companies should adopt in operating their businesses within the UK. Children and young people should not be able to buy 'loot boxes' in video games without parental consent."
Some games cast aside the loot box entirely in favor of less intrusive purchases, such as Marvel's Midnight Suns' cosmetic-only microtransactions. Transactions like these do not affect game balance, not giving players the option to pay for any game-advancing elements. However, in-game purchases, in general, are seen as inhibitive to overall gameplay and the health of their players. Other countries have begun to work on regulating these same pay-to-win models identified in the DCMS study. Due to gambling regulations on loot boxes, the Netherlands and Belgium just banned Diablo Immortal for its infamously microtransaction-reliant gameplay.
Source: gov.uk