It goes without saying that loot boxes have become very unpopular in today’s gaming scene. Thanks to the fact that loot boxes are similar to gambling, the Hawaiian government is further introducing legislation to limit their inclusion in video games.
As reported by the Hawaii Tribune Herald, state lawmakers have now “ introduced legislation to limit the implementation of electronic gambling systems” in video games. In other words, they are cracking down on annoying loot box systems as seen last year in many video games like Middle-earth: Shadow of War, Star Wars Battlefront 2 and more.
The bill wants to limit the sale of video games to minors under the age of 21 that have loot boxes. This means even sports games like FIFA and Madden could not be sold to anyone under the age of 21 if they have a gambling mechanic in them.
If loot boxes are used with in-game currency, then this bill won’t be affected. The bill is only targeting loot boxes that force players to use their own real life money to unlock rewards. FIFA Ultimate Team mode popularized this format, but other game publishers joined in on the bandwagon and it went out of control in late 2017.
The reason the bill is being introduced is mainly because of the popular AAA video games that have been using loot boxes lately. The article states games like Overwatch, Star Wars Battlefront 2 and Call of Duty: WWII are popular examples of loot boxes being targeted to people under 21.
It was not too long ago a poor person on Reddit admitted he got addicted to FIFA’s Ultimate Team Mode and gambled away thousands of dollars. What Hawaii is doing is noble because it prevents kids from gambling in the first place, and also stops them from spending money on useless things like cosmetic items in a video game.
