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Games with loot boxes to get minimum 16 age rating across Europe

bbc.com

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Re: Games with loot boxes to get minimum 16 age rating across Europe

#21

Post by cortesoft »

erxam wrote: post #13

Okay? How will this actually change anything? I don't think I have ever paid attention to a single age rating in my entire life. Does anyone do outside of fundamentalist parents who wouldn't let kids play most video games anyways? Very spiritually European move. What regulators should do is focus on easily applicable percentage-based fines. Make sure it's not just another line item.

Well, this is going along with all the new requirements for companies to actually verify ages, so it won't be up to the parents.

Re: Games with loot boxes to get minimum 16 age rating across Europe

#23

Post by dietr1ch »

djtango wrote: post #17
nba456_ wrote: post #2

I never understood why video game lootboxes get regulated while real-life lootboxes like pokemon cards don't.

Pokemon cards are addictive and fun but they're kind of analogue. Loot boxes are more like slot machines - they have flashing lights, animations and jingles to hook you in deeper. And because the lootboxes are in game they can be tuned in frequency and payout just right to keep you playing in a way boring cards could never be (beyond just boring probabilities)

Idk about pokemon cards, but I'm sure the wotc guys use something to make sniffing newly opened packs addicting.

Re: Games with loot boxes to get minimum 16 age rating across Europe

#24

Post by charcircuit »

pdpi wrote: post #15
mikkupikku wrote: post #5

Do they let 16 year olds gamble in casinos in Europe? Odd to ban it for kids but only some kids.

If you're forbidding people from doing things they could do yesterday, it's best to be a little conservative with your scope. 16-yo kids might do some amount of part time work, and should at least have enough of a concept of money to understand why pressing the "more loot boxes" button is a Bad Idea. They're also old enough that they might potentially have their own bank account and their own card, which then caps th…

That would require extra work to pass more legislation which has a chance to fail. I think it's better to do it all once instead of having to revisit the issue every couple years.

Re: Games with loot boxes to get minimum 16 age rating across Europe

#25

Post by koshergweilo »

hedora wrote: post #20

I wish they'd add mandatory labeling. I'm over 16 and have no interest in games with loot boxes.

I feel like labeling is probably the best approach here. While I personally hate the business model of "Gatcha" type games and wouldn't mind if we banned lot boxes, it is a model does seem to work for a lot of people.

I also think the odds should also be not only disclosed, but made prominent

Re: Games with loot boxes to get minimum 16 age rating across Europe

#26

Post by tjpnz »

pdpi wrote: post #15
mikkupikku wrote: post #5

Do they let 16 year olds gamble in casinos in Europe? Odd to ban it for kids but only some kids.

If you're forbidding people from doing things they could do yesterday, it's best to be a little conservative with your scope. 16-yo kids might do some amount of part time work, and should at least have enough of a concept of money to understand why pressing the "more loot boxes" button is a Bad Idea. They're also old enough that they might potentially have their own bank account and their own card, which then caps th…

So what's the issue then? The minimum is 16 - or are you proposing kids 15 and younger have the right to gamble?

Re: Games with loot boxes to get minimum 16 age rating across Europe

#27

Post by Twirrim »

hsuduebc2 wrote: post #11

Ok, so we all agreed that it is gambling. But for some reason we let kids gamble but only after they reach sixteen? This feels weird.

I guess it's not gambling, or it'd be covered by the UKs existing laws around gambling that set the minimum age to 18.

edit: I'm pointing out the UK has apparently decided lootboxes are not gambling, because if they did classify it as gambling it'd be covered by existing gambling laws that restrict it to 18+.

Not that I personally hold that opinion, though I can see how I could have phrased my original message better.

It's a stupid decision by the government, they should be 18+ and recognised for being gambling.

Re: Games with loot boxes to get minimum 16 age rating across Europe

#28

Post by rkagerer »

Loot boxes are an in-game feature allowing players to buy random mystery items with real or virtual currency

That's not how I use the term. I think of a loot box as a treasure chest or similar that you discover while exploring which, when opened, gives you some loot!

On the other hand if you're talking about a package with a random assortment of stuff in it that you buy without knowing what's inside, I call that a "grab bag" or "mystery bundle".

Am I too old? What games were primarily responsible for changing the vocabulary?

Re: Games with loot boxes to get minimum 16 age rating across Europe

#29

Post by duskwuff »

koshergweilo wrote: post #25
hedora wrote: post #20

I wish they'd add mandatory labeling. I'm over 16 and have no interest in games with loot boxes.

I feel like labeling is probably the best approach here. While I personally hate the business model of "Gatcha" type games and wouldn't mind if we banned lot boxes, it is a model does seem to work for a lot of people. I also think the odds should also be not only disclosed, but made prominent

> "Gatcha" type games

Typically spelled "gacha", although I have to admit that "gotcha" seems apt.

Re: Games with loot boxes to get minimum 16 age rating across Europe

#30

Post by smelendez »

dietr1ch wrote: post #23
djtango wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pokemon cards are addictive and fun but they're kind of analogue. Loot boxes are more like slot machines - they have flashing lights, animations and jingles to hook you in deeper. And because the lootboxes are in game they can be tuned in frequency and payout just right to keep you playing in a way boring cards could never be (beyond just boring probabilities)

Idk about pokemon cards, but I'm sure the wotc guys use something to make sniffing newly opened packs addicting.

That’s funny. I don’t think I’ve opened a pack of Magic cards in about 25 years and I can still remember the smell.
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