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The issue of the loot boxes came recently in the media when the game Star Wars Battlefront II was launched. In that game people could buy an advantage with real money without knowing what benefit it would be. Given the importance of the protection of minors and vulnerable players, this was very worrying. Minister Geens then requested an investigation from the gambling committee.
The Gaming Commission investigated four video games: Star Wars Battlefront II, Overwatch, FIFA 18 and Counter Strike: Global Offensive. They all belong to the genre AAA games, being video games that reach millions of people around the world, often produced by large studios. Those video games are connected to their own age system (PEGI). That system decides on the content of video games, but does not consider whether there is systematic use, winning or losing of real money.
However, developers are increasingly using systems to get players to real money once they have purchased a game. The Gaming Commission is talking about:
1.Emotional profit forecast: uncertainty loot box is linked to profit forecast;
2,A player may think that the purchase of a loot box has an advantage, which is not always the case
3.Confusion of fiction and reality: well-known real people promote the most expensive loot boxes;
4.Use your own coin system: for a real amount, players can buy in-game coins;
5.Apparently infinite methods to deposit money on player accounts;
6.Hide from the random generator or at least its opacity.
To speak of a game of chance, the Gaming Commission uses four parameters. If there is a game element , a bet can lead to profit or loss and chance has a role in the game. In the case of FIFA 18, Overwatch and Counter Strike: Global Offensive, the Gaming Commission considers that the system of loot boxes is a game of chance that is subject to Belgian gaming law. The developer of Star Wars Battlefront II made some adjustments shortly after the launch, so that the system of loot boxes in that game no longer technically forms a game of chance.
Although the system of loot boxes in the three other video games can be seen as a game of chance, it always lacks protection of the players. The fact that it is often minor players is worrying. The hidden character of gambling is extra problematic in the case of children. If this is not properly arranged, games of chance in video games will cause great damage to people, family and society.
The games with paid loot boxes, as currently offered in our country, are therefore in violation of the gaming legislation and can be dealt with under criminal law. The loot boxes must therefore also be removed. If that does not happen, the operators risk a prison sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to 800,000 euros. When minors are involved, those punishments can be doubled.