LOOT boxes have been compared to Kinder Eggs and packs of stickers, but two Scottish politicians believe they’re more akin to gambling and are calling on the Government to act.
MP Ronnie Cowan and MSP Stuart McMillan have tabled a motion for October’s SNP conference calling on the UK ministers to “ensure young people are no longer able to access” the virtual crates found in hundreds of computer games.
Loot boxes often contain enhancements like weapons and costumes, and can be found in games like Overwatch, Call of Duty, and Fifa.
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They also often appear in free games, like Candy Crush.
Typically, players do not not know what is inside a loot box until they its opened.
Earlier this year Fortnite-maker Epic Games made their loot boxes see-through so players could see exactly what they were buying.
In their resolution the two politicians say that loot boxes are regulated under gambling law in China, Japan, Australia, The Netherlands, Belgium and the Isle of Man. They call for the UK Government “to take action to identify loot boxes as gambling and ensure young people are no longer able to access them”.
The two go on to say they believe that if the UK Government will not take the necessary steps then it should “devolve the relevant powers over gambling legislation to the Scottish Parliament to allow MSPs the opportunity to make policy changes”.
Earlier this month Kerry Hopkins, from EA, told MPs that paying for loot boxes was like buying Kinder Eggs, Hatchimals or LOL Surprise. “We do think the way that we have implemented these kinds of mechanics ... is actually quite ethical and quite fun, quite enjoyable to people.”
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