Minister of Consumption Alberto Garzon announced that in Spain “specific law” that will regulate the use of loot boxes. video games that allow you to receive benefits or random rewards in exchange for paying an amount with virtual coins or real money. The new law, which is meant to be a pioneer in Europe, will be introduced “in a few weeks” and aims to guarantee the health of the most vulnerable players, such as minors.
“Loot boxes”, also called reward boxes, are present in many video games and work in a certain way similar to slot machines, given that users they have to pay a certain amount of money in exchange for receiving a completely random prize. This, according to the Minister of Consumption, could have “negative consequences” for the players. Mainly because they can lead to “mindless, compulsive, or even pathological” behavior.
Garson, for his part, says that loot boxes are “devices that have economic value in a real or fictitious market and whose random prize can be resold or exchanged.” Interestingly, he also includes in the equation, NFTs and cryptocurrencies. At this point, it is too early to know the details of this new law that the government is preparing. The Minister, however, assures that the regulation in this area “will allow entertainment and that this is compatible with the preservation and maximization of the health of all consumers and, in particular, the most vulnerable.”
Several countries are investigating the negative impact of loot boxes
Spain, yes, is not the only country that attempts to regulate the use of “loot boxes”. In fact, the US and dozens of EU countries have been investigating the possible negative impact of this element on players for some time now. Belgium also banned these bounty boxes from video games in 2018.
On the other hand, companies like Microsoft, Nintendo or Sony are taking a number of measures to prevent abuse by video game publishers when it comes to offering loot boxes to their players. These publishers, in particular, they should be transparent about the chances of getting random items in said crates. Loot boxes meanwhile, EA ensures that loot boxes in its video games are “quite ethical, fun, and enjoyable for people.”
Source: Hiper Textual
