A report calling gaming loot box “exploitative” has been supported by consumer groups from 18 European countries.
You can only reveal the contents of virtual boxes by playing a game or making a payment.
Some are useful and desirable, while others are not.
According to the Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC), gamers are being “manipulated” to spend large amounts of money on chests.
EA Games has previously compared loot box toy toys Hatchimals and Kinder Surprise.
Critics claim that the boxes are gambling since players can’t see what they actually purchased until they pay to open them.
Finn Myrstad is the director of digital policy for the NCC. He stated that “The sale of loot boxes often involves exploiting consumers through predatory mechanism, fostering addiction and targeting vulnerable consumer groups, and more.”
20 consumer groups from the 18 countries supporting the report have all called for regulation by governments.
This includes the European Consumer Organisation which represents consumers across Europe, including the UK.
According to the report, it is “apparent” that the methods used to persuade people to give their money to games are “predatory and manipulative”, as well as “extremely aggressive”.
These problems are made worse by the fact some games that contain loot boxes are targeted towards children.
Loot boxes are a controversial topic.
The Belgium Gaming Commission found them in violation of gambling legislation in 2018. This led to Fifa’s virtual currency being removed from the region. This effectively means that loot boxes cannot be earned by playing Ultimate Team mode.
The Netherlands came to the same conclusion in 2019 and fined Fifa’s publisher EA EUR10m (PS8.5m).
In March 2022, a court ruled that EA had not violated the law and annulled the fine.
It was stated that loot boxes in Fifa, which contain digital versions actual football players and can be used to play for Fifa gamers teams, add an element of chance into the Ultimate Team mode. However they are only part of a larger game of skill.
EA Games’ vice president in 2019 stated that loot boxes were the same as Kinder Eggs and defended their use.
Kerry Hopkins stated: “We think that the way we have implemented these types of mechanics – and Fifa is of course our big one, and our Fifa Ultimate Team, and our packs – is actually quite ethical, quite fun, and quite enjoyable to people.”
Epic Games, a Fortnite-maker, decided that Epic Games would allow players to see the contents of its llama loot containers before they made a decision to purchase them.
