Dutch Lawmakers Find Issues with Several Games That Contain Loot Boxes
By Zac Cameron ·
After a long study into the effect of loot boxes in games, Dutch lawmakers have published their findings which will prove troublesome for several major titles.
After an exhaustive study into the prevalence of loot boxes in gaming, the Dutch Gaming Authority have published their paper, titled Study into loot boxes: A Treasure or a burden?
The landmark paper will result in changes to at least a few of the most popular games on the market right now. The paper notes that a loot box violates Dutch law if "the content of these loot boxes is determined by chance and... the prizes to be won can be traded outside of the game: the prizes have a market value."
The paper itself does not name any of the ten games it studied, however the games looked at where determined based on their popularity and ease of access, so it can be safely assumed to have included titles such as League of Legends, Overwatch, and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Of the ten games looked at by the company, four have been found to violate Dutch law, due to their ability to trade loot boxes outside of the game at "market value". An article on the report from Dutch news site NOS has named the offending games as FIFA 18, Dota 2, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, and Rocket League. The publishers of these games, EA, Valve, PubG Corporation, and Psyonix, will have until June 20 to change their current practices. Failure to do so could result in fines or even restrictions on the ability for the games to be sold in the country.
While The Gaming Authority notes that as yet they have not received any indications that there is a large scale problem with players being addicted to opening loot boxes, the potential for such an addiction to flourish does exist, and asks for steps to be taken to minimize said risks. A key problem found in the report is the lack of restrictions on who is able to purchase and open loot boxes, leading to fears of minors and other "socially vulnerable groups" to be exposed to greater risk of developing addictive tendencies. Organizations such as the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) have argued that due to the nature of each loot box providing some form of digital item, they should not be considered gambling. The Dutch Gaming Authority rejects that sentiment however, saying that because the market value of the items received is randomized, there will always be someone who wins much more than others.
For more on the topic of loot boxes and there place in the modern gaming landscape, check out this episode of Game Talk Live, covering loot boxes, net neutrality and the topic of violent videogames.