As for the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), the organization responsible for classifying and rating video games in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, it doesn't consider loot
boxes as gambling.
Speaking at Credit Suisse's 21st Annual Technology, Media and Telecom Conference, Karl Slatoff stated that Take - Two doesn't see loot
boxes as gambling.
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), the industry - created ratings group, has declared that it doesn't see loot
boxes as gambling — an important distinction for games.
PC Gamer reported Sweden's Minister for Public Administration Ardalan Shekarabi said his country might classify loot
boxes as gambling next year.
As a result, online personalities like John «Totalbiscuit» Bain have asked the ESRB to classify loot
boxes as gambling.
For some, the idea of in - game purchases of a random nature is dangerous, and the practice has been condemned as such, essentially describing loot
boxes as gambling with a fresh coat of paint.
Despite the Dutch and Belgians cracking down on loot boxes in their recent legislative escapades, EA seems to be standing firm and speaking in a recent investor call, its CEO Andrew Wilson said he doesn't see their loot
boxes as gambling.
GTA and Civilization publishers Take - Two do not view loot
boxes as gambling, according to their president Karl Slatoff.
Should legislation be passed that classifies loot
boxes as gambling, then that legislation isn't going to be limited to big companies.
Now that some are labeling loot
boxes as gambling.
For starters, many countries have yet to pass any form of legislation classifying loot
boxes as gambling.
When news began circulating that many markets were considering classifying loot
boxes as gambling.
The ESRB outright refused to acknowledge loot
boxes as gambling.
The debate continues to rage on regarding the status of loot
boxes as gambling.
The UK Gambling Commission does not consider loot
boxes as gambling, it has recently advised.
Organisations who do not consider loot
boxes as gambling include the UK Gambling Commission and the ESRB.
Not exact matches
Lawmakers and activists saw an even bigger problem, comparing the purchasable loot
boxes, in a game likely to have a large audience of minors,
as akin to encouraging children to
gamble.
Following the huge controversy with Star Wars Battlefront II loot
boxes, which eventually forced EA to remove them temporarily, there's been a lot of talk whether loot
boxes can be considered
as gambling.
Many other countries have said that loot
boxes are not
gambling as the contents have no real value but that is not a factor to the BGC, they say they items in loot
boxes have a perceived value depending on how rare they are in game.
«In practical terms this means that where in - game items obtained via loot
boxes are confined for use within the game and can not be cashed out it is unlikely to be caught
as a licensable
gambling activity.
It doesn't end there, however — the Commission singled out an opportunity for reform, despite loot
boxes not technically being classified
as gambling.
Not many people would have been willing to wager before the start of the summer movie season that «The Avengers» would emerge
as the best superhero film of the year (especially with «The Dark Knight Rises» still to come), but Marvel's big
gamble proved everyone wrong, making beaucoup bucks at the
box office on its way to becoming the third highest grossing movie of all - time.
America's ESRB has already gone on record saying it doesn't consider loot
boxes as a form of
gambling.
This is especially true considering what happened last year with all the backlash against loot
boxes in games, which many constituted
as a form of
gambling.
As Beyond Redemption was bringing in amazing reviews (starred and
boxed review from Publishers Weekly, rave reviews from BookList, the Library Journal, and a host of indie book reviewers) I decided to
gamble and write the sequel.
Because of the backlash to Battlefront II, Shadow of War, and similar mechanics in Need for Speed Payback, loot
boxes are currently being dissected in gaming and non-gaming communities
as to whether they constitute
gambling.
Electronic Arts CEO talks about the decision of some regulators to classify loot
boxes in some games
as gambling, including FIFA 18.
The analyst shared the general view presented by a number of international regulators that loot
boxes could be seen
as features that normalize
gambling, which he believes is «morally reprehensible» and «legally questionable» particularly given the fact that video games are played by minors.
Germany's USK rating board hasn't weighed in yet, but PEGI operations director Dirk Bosmans said in October last year that he believes it holds the same position: That «we can not define what constitutes
gambling,» and therefore can not regulate loot
boxes as such.
The debate over whether loot
boxes should be thought of
as gambling tools is not going to go away, with the UK Gambling Commission ruling that boxes do not come under its control because the rewards on offer were usable only in t
gambling tools is not going to go away, with the UK
Gambling Commission ruling that boxes do not come under its control because the rewards on offer were usable only in t
Gambling Commission ruling that
boxes do not come under its control because the rewards on offer were usable only in the game.
UK's
gambling regulator did not see loot
boxes as representation of
gambling, while Kansspelautoriteit took a rather opposite stance.
However, a number of
gambling regulators, including the Belgian Gaming Commission and the Netherlands Gaming Authority, blasted publisher EA for adding the loot
boxes feature
as it constituted
gambling.
The debate over whether loot
boxes should be thought of
as gambling tools is not going to go away, with the UK
«Customers stupidly assumed that because loot
box rewards were randomised, and that loot
boxes use weaponised addictive psychology techniques developed by the
gambling industry, and that loot
boxes cost real money, that they are the same
as gambling.»
If the practice were to be considered
as gambling under the ESRB, the AO rating that games with loot
boxes would receive will lead to said games not being able to be sold in major retail outlets.
The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), which assigns content ratings to video games sold in the US and acts
as an independent self - regulatory body for the industry, told Kotaku it «does not consider loot
boxes to be
gambling.»
According to the Entertainment Software Rating Board, opening loot
boxes in games does not qualify
as gambling.
The Netherlands Gaming Authority will probe into the so - called loot
boxes in video games and their relation to
gambling as part of its crackdown on illegal
gambling and the potential participation of children in
gambling activities.
Most of the time, you can buy these loot
boxes not just for in - game currency but for real money, which has led some players to classify them
as gambling — a label that the Entertainment Software Rating Board doesn't acknowledge.
In answer to one user's point that loot
boxes «ruin the feeling of accomplishment, are a form of
gambling, and are obviously an incentive for players to buy credits using microtransactions», Brannvall said, «I think crates can be a fun addition
as long
as you don't feel forced to engage with them in order to progress.
Even regulators are now paying more attention to microtransactions,
as Belgium's Gaming Commission is investigating whether Star Wars: Battlefront II loot
boxes should be considered
as gambling.
The Belgian government has classed Battlefront 2 loot
box practices
as gambling while a Representatitve from the state of Hawaii is joining the fight.
Though the systemic consequences of habitual impulsive spending in games are remarkably similar to the impacts of traditional
gambling disorder, current psychological understanding would not classify loot
box addictions
as gambling disorder.
With Belgium saying that even Overwatch's loot
boxes are
gambling, despite them often being pointed to
as a benign example of the system, it looks like they're going to have to adapt and make changes so
as not to fall foul of fines in the millions.
It looks like the jig is up for the humble loot
box,
as more and more laws, regulations and government studies are coming down, saying «Yep, that's
gambling matey.»
«We certainly considered whether or not loot
boxes would constitute
as gambling.
As pointed out in this great Extra Credits video, any sort of legislation that treats loot
boxes like
gambling might be bad news for everyone, because, among other reasons, legislators don't often know much about the nuances of video games.
With his promotion also comes a seat that's already on fire due to the Star Wars Battlefront II controversy that led into some other EA high - profile titles and even some non-EA titles that have caught the attention of lawmakers around the world due to loot
boxes being viewed
as a form of
gambling.
During writing the Belgians, Australians, and Hawaii have released statements and begun proceedings to declare loot
boxes as predatory
gambling practices.
in the time of
gamble -
boxes, Robert's failure was to deliver
as hyped while throwing in everything like FOIP and land claims, but the actual business model is pretty fair considering you can get access to the game (in its current alpha state and when it finally releases) for less than the standard AAA price.