Everyone's probably tired of hearing about it, but it seems like we still haven't seen the end of the Star Wars Battlefront 2 loot box controversy's consequences. In what is a landmark for laws regulating games - something scarce in most countries until now - Representative Chris Lee of Oahu has proposed two bills to the Hawaii State Legislature that will affect loot boxes.
One bill, House Bill 2727, would require publishers to clearly label games that contained loot box systems as well as requiring them to display the probability of getting each item. This will likely be a popular move, preventing players from spending money on boxes that they'll get bad rewards for. The other bill, House Bill 2686, could be more controversial, as it hopes to limit the sale of games containing loot boxes only to those over age 21. Still, it'll be easy to bypass by the sounds of it.
Though these bills only affect Hawaii, Lee claims that "more than half of U.S. states are pursuing some form of loot box oversight legislation." If a sizable amount of states take action against loot boxes, publishers could be persuaded to stop putting them in their games, Lee hopes. This could be wishful thinking, as loot boxes have showed no sign of slowing in recent months, but, if the bills pass and cause a financial hit to publishers, change could come.
Are these the right measures to take against loot boxes, or should no action be taken? Get a sense of pride and accomplishment in the comments below.
[source hawaiitribune-herald.com]
Comments 26
What a great day, the second volley on loot boxes has started and we are running the best game poll of all time in the forums. It may be raining outside but theres sunshine in Air! Great skirts, great location, great people. Come on Hawaii!
I see these as sensible moves. I do genuinely believe that loot boxes (as seen in recent games like BF2 and Shadow Of War) are a form of gambling in the way they are incentivised and presented to players and people should know what their odds are and also be age appropriate.
In and of themselves, no they won't stop lootboxes but they will hopefully inform consumers, particularly parents, that the game has purchasable content that encourages further spending. It might also prevent publishers from continuing the predatory avenues they are pursuing to encourage this form of micro-transaction. I hope this passes and other states/countries follow suit.
I do believe something needs to be done.
I understand developing a game requires a certain budget,
but focusing mainly on loot boxes or things like that, It destroys
the enjoyment and makes you feel ripped off.
We want to see passionate developers who want to give a good quality product for the gaming community, not some half-baked game which feels pushed and forcefully done.
If it's a quality product, we'll already want to buy. It's a win win for both sides.
If they’re not going anywhere I quite like the idea of being clearly labeld and percentage chance of obtaining your wanted item. Personally I’ve never bought 1 in my gaming life. But it seems reasonably to add this fruit machines do the same. They still make money but at least users are informed
Edit. And I mean this only for cosmetic items. Anything that gives a gameplay advantage can do one. I’ll never buy a game with that included
I would think the whole 'well it's exactly the same thing as trading cards or toys in a chocolate egg' argument woud legally protect these gaming companies, but if it didn't then I'm certain they could very easily rebrand the practise in some way and sell them differently.
The only real way to end added random microtransations is for a large percentage of their customers to stop buying the games that they're in.
I honestly have no problem with the way Overwatch does it. If it’s purely cosmetic, it’s fine.
Haven’t played much of Battlefront 2 but it would seem abilities and heroes are locked behind the system. That’s a lot worse.
I'm not a fan of lootboxes but you know what I'm even less a fan of? The United States government and I sure as hell do not applaud their involvement in this case. It starts with this, and people will cheer it because they don't like microtransactions, but the question becomes where does it end? Once again, an example of something that was so easily solved by consumers just using their brains and not purchasing something but no, they cry and whine instead and now this happens. Cheer this if you want but imo this isn't a path we want to start going down. Somewhere Sen. Joe Lieberman is reading this news with a giant smile on his face.
Applauds Chris Lee
A loot box article? This is so 2017.
Good. I don't think we need to limit it to 21 years old, but the first option is good.
I am not fond of loot boxes, but I really don't like the path of government getting involved with video games. I'd rather gamers sort out what they want out of loot boxes with their dollars.
I ideally don't like government involvement but sadly games like BF2 sell millions off of casual consumers who don't care about MTX and that has a negative effect on those that do care because it warps said game's balance and flow but sadly they are the minority so shouting is all they can really do. The publishers only have themselves to blame for this mess, they could have been content with just selling a fully featured product at a one time price but because they got so obsessed with getting all the money not some of the money that we got season passes, day one dlc,bloody selling horse armour, online passes, multiple editions and now microtransactions. Like Jim Sterling said yesterday "if AAA are to have MTX, then don't charge $60. Make it F2P".
@Gamer83 I take it you are all for small government and let the markets decide everything. You must love Trump
Going by your statement, should we make alcohol and tobacco available to all ages.. as you know kids will be sensible enough not to drink. Same with going to casinos because little Timmy wouldnt spend his pocket money on those shiny machines.
The truth is if these things go for money and you don't know what you are getting at a bare minimum they have to show the odds. They (the developers) dont want you to know the odds so its going to require legislative process to force their hand.
People saying gamers will sort this out themselves are deluding themselves to the problem. Most people on here may avoid them but theres people who pump every penny in. Activision makes as much money from MT's etc than they do with ACTUAL game sales.
Think about that for a minute.
@solocapers
Love people who make assumptions. I'll put my politics out there. Hate Trump, also hated Clinton but she won the popular vote, therefore should've been president. Take that for what you will.
My problem with this is where does it stop? How about Hawaii next goes after Japanese games? Yakuza can't come over here unless they rip out all the stuff the United States deems offensive or problematic. There are things that need to be legislated and every once in a while the government gets something right (game ratings were certainly needed). In this case, I don't like it, and the way people are these days it concerns me for where things could go next.
@Gamer83 Im not fussed who you voted for.. It just a total Rep policy.. cut all regulation. I apologise for that though as that was cheap.
Its a bit of a nonsense argument though.. Where does it stop? Checks and balances are there for a reason because without them companies will run wild. People had the same argument before game ratings came in to play. Virtually nothing gets cut out unless its truly obscene.
That means further regulation is not going to touch games like Yakuza's creepy pervy side. Remember people have tried to ban GTA for its violence but the majority of people deemed it not warranted and so its been dropped.. so censorship isnt something thats took lightly.
This however is totally different. Regulation and deeming what is good for society at a whole is a good thing.
@DLB3 - the point I was sarcastically making was "to hell with laws and regulations.. just let everyone decide what they want to do and let them make their own mistakes."
Thats essentially the argument from a lot of people on how MT's and loot boxes should be left alone. Forgetting about the people who dont realise how addictive gambling can get. Especially at a young age.
@themcnoisy This is awesome news indeed, lootboxes need to go the way of the dodo's.
I think at least the odds should be stated as it currently is not stated. So you could be wasting a lot going for a loot box to get a certain item but get nothing but duplicates as an example. Though i am someone who doesn't buy loot boxes using money.
@solocapers
Don't really agree that it's if nonsense. We've reached a point where if somebody doesn't like something they go on the internet and throw a temper tantrum like a child and then either these idiotic developers and publishers capitulate to these people (most of who don't buy their games anyway) or we're now getting to a point where governments are stepping in. If I remember correctly there was a successful attempt to get GTA V banned in Australia, at least at certain retail chains. Things can definitely happen over here in the States given how overly freaking sensitive people are about this stuff. I'm tried of reading about games and negative impact on society and blah blah blah. Same sh*t I heard back in 1993 about how Mortal Kombat was going to turn 10 year old me and all my friends into murderers if our parents dared let us go near such things. I've yet to see how these microtransactions truly hurt people. Do I like them? No. Would I buy them? F**k no. But I have a hard time believing this is going to lead to a gambling problem the same way betting on horses or something would. So we're just going to have to agree to disagree. I don't believe, at all, that we should cut all regulation, but I do believe there are certain things that don't need to be legislated nearly as much, games are one of them. The first and only time I ever agreed with anything was the rating system. That's something that should've been there from the start. Other than that, can't remember a time I've been happy to see governments sticking its nose in gaming where it doesn't belong.
@Gamer83 The people crying about loot boxes are probably the same people crying that there should be government intervention with Tide Pods.
This society has turned into a bunch of whinny fools who don't want to take responsibility for their actions. In all honesty it's kinda sad.
@Tasuki
People have certainly become more sensitive about certain things than they should be. I do agree there are plenty of societal issues that have existed for a long time that are long overdue for discussion. But acting like video games or movies or tv shows, something people have always done to deflect, are the root cause of the issues is crazy, imo. But it's something that has gone on forever and will more than likely continue, unless of course some people get their way and all video games, movies and tv shows become same the same watered down politically correct nonsense.
I wont bother saying anything other than go and watch the Jimquisition and enlighten yourself if you believe loot boxes aren't a disgrace.
@Tasuki negative, i dislike the predatory practices they exploit on kids
@bbtothe Yeah, between lootboxes and microtransactions gamers are being bent over at an alarming rate. I'm sure the microtransaction and lootbox defense force on this website would say if you don't like it or can't afford it to quit gaming, but alot of us were gaming long before these issues even existed. I just want complete games at launch not a $60 price to start, with microtransactions and lootboxes up the wazzoo.
@Tasuki Most of us hardcore gamers hate these practices, however casuals eat this stuff up and sadly outnumber us hardcore gamers so nothing we do would be enough to deter developers from using these shady practices...
@ReanSchwarzer7 I don't mind these practices, no one says you have to buy the boxes, there's ways to earn them in game, but people are just lazy and don't want to take the time, they want it now. Patience can be a virtual.
@Tasuki Lootboxes are a bit different, but are predatory, however microtransactions and day one dlc are very anti-consumer and in some cases are required to see the true ending of a game's story. These are absolutely wrong, and sadly I had to bite with the Sword Art Online: Hollow Rewlization dlc which is essentially the last 30-35% of the main story but unless I REALLY love a game I won't do this. The amount of content in the base game was excellent, but story dlc, unless it's like an epilogue after the main storyline is finished is absolutely appalling...
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