The workshop is the first public sign of any concrete US government action on the issue of video game loot boxes since the FTC investigation was launched. Some observers and politicians liken the purchase of randomized loot boxes full of in-game items to a form of gambling, saying the loot boxes therefore shouldn’t be accessible by children.
State-based legislative efforts to rein in loot boxes in Washington state, Hawaii, and Indiana have yet to lead to any actual laws on the books. Gaming commissions abroad in the Netherlands and Belgium have already ruled that loot boxes constitute illegal games of chance, though similar groups in other countries have ruled the opposite.
In September, Washington state joined with 15 foreign countries in a declaration expressing concern “with the risks being posed by the blurring of lines between gambling and other forms of digital entertainment such as video gaming.”
The industry-aligned Entertainment Software Rating Board started labeling titles with “in-game purchases” last year. When that program was announced, the group said it considers loot boxes to be “a fun way to acquire virtual items for use within the game, to personalize your experience” and that it was “unable to find any evidence that children specifically have been impacted by loot boxes or leading them to some sort of tendency towards gambling.”
In November, the Entertainment Software Association lobbying group said in a statement that “contrary to assertions, loot boxes are not gambling. They have no real-world value, players always receive something that enhances their experience, and they are entirely optional to purchase.”