Belgium says loot boxes are gambling

Belgium's Justice Minister calls for loot box ban in Europe (Updated) | PC Gamer

So politicians in Belgium have investigated and say that loot boxes which are randomised are a form of gambling and want them banned in Europe.

I don't have a problem with microtransactions where you can pay $2 for the skin you want, but I have to agree that paying $2 for a 10% chance of the skin you want does prey on the same impulses as gambling.

How do you think companies such as EA are going to respond to this? They've already had words from Disney about the ire they are bringing down on a big name property, could this be the thing to force them to look in other directions?

I never had a problem with Project $10 that gave people who bought new..well $10 of extra content for free and people who bought used had to pay that $10 to get. I really wouldn't mind seeing that return to be honest, but there's probably only a 10% chance
of that.

:)

 

adds

I've never personally seen any ads for gambling on the console. I wouldn't want gambling or pornography being promoted in ads on the console either.

I'm assuming that you're referring to the ability to buy randomized loot boxes in some games.

Personally, I've never seen any featured ad tiles push the sale of loot boxes. I have seen some games post information on their new content and loot boxes on their community activity feeds in the past. That's really the only place I've ever seen info on
a games loot box. Well... that and in the specific games themselves.

 

XBox LIVE Shut Down For Gambling?

"100% with Mark. Parents responsibility."

Yes, yep, absolutely, positively correct.

All 3 of my oldest kids will tell you they have no interest in paying for Loot boxes or anything like that. The stuff is unneeded and a waste of money. Same game without that junk. Smart kids and a reason my 16 year old had the money to buy his own laptop
and things like that. Now, my oldest son has a friend who spends hundreds on Halo 5 req. packs. His money but what a waste. And then sometimes he is broke and wishes he had the money for something. Those are the people they make money on.

"If this is the beginning of the end of in game gambling with Lock Boxes, Loot Boxes, Req Packs (and I mean specifically... charging money for this sort of thing) then it's not a bad thing at all."

I do not see it as gambling myself. The best part of something like Halo 5 Req. Packs is that they are not needed and they fund the free content. I would much rather them sell unneeded things like this for those that want them and have the maps and other
main content be free.

And really, I guess it could be gambling. But by themselves there is no gambling. You buy a Req. Pack, Loot Box, Lock Box, and you get a Req. Pack, Loot Box, Lock Box. And you get whatever is in it. It is not like you are running the risk of not getting
anything in return. Like with lottery gambling, bingo gambling, casino gambling, etc. No, you get what you pay for. Like with Baseball/Football cards. Not gambling when I buy a pack. I get the pack of cards I pay for. I get whatever is in the pack. My
oldest son used to collect Pokémon cards when he was younger. Each pack had Pokémon cards <-- Like a Loot Box, etc. they where random --> and you might get that $30-$40 card or just a bunch of cards of no real value. Same with a Loot Box or similar.

Now, I do have issues with the way some games allow you to sell and transfer those in game skins and stuff. In itself that is not bad. But that can lead to real gambling. Like if kids are bidding real money on online skin auctions for some "rare" in game
skin. That is aimed most at children for the most part and it gambling. Just buying a pack for yourself is different. You get that pack yourself and get the contents. With these gambling things like these you many not get anything. You are truly gambling.
And a lot are rigged. A local guy here rigs these sometimes with some others. They win the best stuff between them. And they make good $$. Guy does nothing but this stuff. If these certain games did not allow you to sell your in game loot that would
not be an issue.

In the end the issue for me is not that they sell the Loot boxes and thing like that. You are buying something. And you get something. It is when they intentionally make things rare and then allow them to be sold around. And profit from those that sell
them. And then act like they had no clue there was dishonest. All while those being dishonest where being protected by said company breaking their own rules in favor of those few to protect them and this huge income. And the odd part is that it does not
seem to hurt the big companies or these people like it should. Dishonesty being rewarded in those cases. But many have come to accept these things. That is another topic though.

 

As huge of a market as Belgium is to the gaming industry I'm pretty sure loot boxes will cease to exist now.

#NeverSarcastic

 

As huge of a market as Belgium is to the gaming industry I'm pretty sure loot boxes will cease to exist now.

#NeverSarcastic

 

Belgium is surprisingly influential in the EU. There's a fairly decent chance that if they've declared loot boxes to be gambling then the rest of the members would follow. The country on its own might not shake EA and its fellows but the entire EU?

Plus the state of Hawaii in the USA is now investigating the 'predatory tactics' of loot boxes. So their gambling days could be coming to an end.

Also sarcastic is a word I'd never match with you Goth.

 

Of course,our very own British government investigated loot boxes about 6 weeks ago & just said they're not sure if it is gambling & would keep an eye on the situation.

Thing is with Europe,once one country says something is wrong then quite a few other countries will jump on that as well.

If it's a free to play game then loot boxes are fine,they have to make a bit of money somehow.

If you pay £50 for a game then loot boxes are a big no no in my book.

Thing that has got me annoyed about this recently is that everyone is jumping on Battlefront2 yet games like Fifa,COD & Forza 7 to name a few have these paid for loot boxes in them & no ones said a word.

I know the microtransactions have been removed from Battlefront 2 for the time being but after well over 25 hours of playing it not once have I ever felt the need to spend real money on anything.

If loot boxes go then expect another way for these games to make extra money to be added.

If kids are buying these things when they shouldn't be then that's down to the parents

 

I'm so against random loot boxes it's not even funny lol. Notice since they've been around we haven't heard a single developer cry about used games so maybe they have a purpose?

If they are in singleplayer games and have to do with progression or it changes random loot drop chances in singleplayer games then that is an absolute disgrace. They are in Shadow of War which I've received for free through the ambassadors program and haven't
even touched it yet. I will eventually since I didn't pay for it.

I suppose they're not as bad if people want to waste their money of skins etc, but the way Battlefront 2 was trying to do it was a slap to the face as well as a kick right in your twig and giggle berries. Then to top it off they say you can earn in game
credits to buy this stuff, but then they put limits on how many credits you can earn in a day before they make you have a cool-down period.

They were really making it like a free to play game system even after paying €69.99. I really wanted to play that game after skipping the first due to no SP, but I cannot support this. I'll wait until the return of the loot boxes to see what they do.

Also as others have said, Belgium is very influential in the EU so if they decide it's gambling others will follow suit. If that happens EA will most certainly change their tactics on how they will get our money because just making a good game isn't enough
anymore.

 

There's only a limit on credits you can earn in arcade mode in Battlefront 2,multiplayer has no limits.

As I said,loot boxes should never be in a paid game but a lot of the fuss about Battlefront 2 was rubbish.

It wasn't pay to win,you can earn more than enough credits in game to get everything you need.

You can't even use the best stuff until you are a certain level anyway.

It's one of the best multiplayer games I've played in years

 

A few years back I was talking to someone about the random crates for upgrades in Mass Effect 3 horde mode. The subject had been raised by him praising EA for releasing free DLC for the multiplayer.

I mentioned that they were only 'free' because people were paying for them via the loot crates. His reply was "I don't care because I'm getting free stuff."

Therein lies the problem I think. The people who are ambivalent about RNG loot crates or actively support their inclusion in games, because the poor corporations can't make money (despite them making massive profits), are also the very people who won't buy
the crates, the people who aren't affected by the tactics pulled straight from the mobile gaming playbook.

You know the type of thing. The first few hours are great fun, a challenge you enjoy, but then the time to unlock things gets longer and longer, the grind begins to feel not quite as fun as it was. But that's okay you can buy some crystals now to get back to
the fun stuff.

I guess it is in people's natures to be self serving.

 

So it turns out that a bit of mistranslation has gone on and Belgium hasn't yet made any definitive statement and the investigation is still ongoing.

 

It’s also making its way to the US as well.

 

This whole situation is really picking up steam.

I think random loot boxes will go away. They should have a few items that you can buy whilst knowing what you are getting. That's different as long as they don't take the mickey out of ya like that game Evolved did.