UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE), a non-profit UK video game trade association, has introduced guidelines to regulate loot boxes, limiting access to those over 18.
While this isn’t a legally binding mandate, the principles set forth by the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment are meant to act as a form of self-regulation in order to curb some of the criticism of the predatory practices surrounding loot boxes and similar forms of video game gambling has gotten in recent years. These guidelines are also backed up by the Technical Working Group convened by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
“We’ve been clear the video games industry needs to do more to protect children and adults from the harms associated with loot boxes,” said John Whittingdale, Minister for the Creative Industries. “These new principles are a big step forward to make sure players can enjoy video games responsibly and safely. I look forward to seeing games companies put the plans into action and will be watching their progress closely.”
Starting with the biggest of the proposed measures, the restriction of loot boxes to those under 18 years old would be achieved through parental controls, which could be set up to stop children from being taken advantage of through these in-game mechanics. While each platform (Xbox, PlayStation, etc.) is set up differently in terms of parental controls, the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment suggests the settings need to allow for deeper control by parents.
Additionally, the UKIE suggests that a public information campaign could help educate parents and children about the issues surrounding loot box mechanics, while the probabilities of the content of loot boxes should be disclosed pre-purchase. Some games have already begun doing this, but it isn’t consistent across the games industry.
These are all steps in the right direction, which should also be implemented in other countries outside of the UK, but with the plan to monitor the progress of these guidelines over the course of the following year, hopefully, some good information is drawn from it that can be used more widespread across the industry. While the hope is that the companies themselves can do what’s right and make the necessary changes to protect children, the UK government has also stated it will produce legislation should that not happen in a timely manner.
