To say Star Wars Battlefront II caused controversy upon its release is an understatement. The game’s backlash was so large that it literally sent shockwaves throughout the entire world. Why? Well, there was a lot of things but arguably the biggest one was the microtransaction system that had players buying numerous Loot Boxes to try and get items to make them better in the game. This was so overt that many defined it as a “Pay-2-Win” system. While others called it by another name, gambling.
This got the attention of many, many who felt that not only were Loot Boxes gambling but was an affront to all who play games, especially kids. Several major politicians took a stand to declare that not only was this not right, but if this was true gambling, that it should be stopped. And now, one Washington Senator has taken the next step to potentially stopping this in games. He’s written up a bill to find out whether Loot Boxes are gambling, and if they are, to create steps to limit their exposure to certain gamers.
To say that is huge is also an understatement, for this could literally change the way video games are made, and how video game developers handle microtransactions in the future. For example, the bill condemns developers who aren’t “transparent” with what the Loot Boxes are and how they can drastically affect gameplay.
Furthermore, if this bill is passed, and the gambling label is put on this, and regulations are put on developers to do certain things if they have microtransactions like this in their games…Loot Boxes could go away…like for good. There are many developers who rely on such things to make a bigger profit, if that goes away, some major rethinking will be going on.
Now, the bill has only just been proposed, and it doesn’t have to be approved or viewed for a while. The deadline is the 1st of December, but something tells us we won’t have to wait that long for news on this.
