US Legislators Want To Limit Sales Of Games With Lootbox Following 'Star Wars Battlefront 2' Incident
It's not yet over for EA as the fallout from the mishandled "Star Wars Battlefront 2" microtransaction model has now caught the attention of governments both in the United States and abroad. Lawmakers have expressed their desire to regulate games that use similar practices in order to quell what they believe as "the spread of predatory practices in online gaming."
In a recent announcement aimed at EA, lawmakers in Hawaii's state legislature have stated their intentions to regulate loot crates and in-game transactions in video gaming. Representatives Chris Lee and Sean Quinlan criticized the business model as preying on children naming EA's recently released action shooter specifically as an example.
Lee said that he and his team are currently "looking at legislation" in the upcoming year that could prohibit the sale of games to players that are under 21 years of age. They might also include legislation that outright ban the inclusion of gambling elements, which Lee believes are present in "Star Wars Battlefront 2" via the game's loot box system.
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They are also in conversation with fellow lawmakers to implement the same measures in other states. This is in order to suppress the spread of what he calls "predatory behavior" on the part of game publishers.
Belgium also took a similar stance with the country's Gaming Commission opening an investigation into loot box purchases in video games last week. It was recently reported that the Belgian minister of justice has indicated that he wants to go to the European Union in order to have actions taken against games that use such systems.
The Entertainment Software Association has issued a statement defending the use of loot boxes in games saying that: "Loot boxes are a voluntary feature in certain video games that provide players with another way to obtain virtual items that can be used to enhance their in-game experiences. They are not gambling."
EA has yet to issue a statement regarding lawmakers referencing "Star Wars Battlefront 2" specifically in their legislature. Currently, there is no way for players to spend real money in-game after EA pulled out all microtransactions as a response to widespread criticisms.
