Loot box ban proposed in US could destroy key PUBG and Fifa feature

Game developers are knowingly exploiting children, says Senator

Visitors plays on EA Vancouver video game developer's football simulation video game FIFA 19 at the eSports Bar trade fair in Cannes, southern France on February 13, 2019 (YANN COATSALIOU/AFP/Getty Images)

A feature key to games like PUBG, Fifa, Apex Legends and many more of the world's biggest games could be banned under new US legislation.

A Senator has proposed a complete ban on "loot boxes", a feature that forms a central part of some of the most popular mobile and console titles.

Critics argue that the feature is a way of allowing children to take part in legalised gambling, and that it profits from people's addiction to games. Developers say the feature is a fair way of making more money from players, despite widespread backlash from both consumers and legislators.

Loot boxes allow people to pay sometimes considerable amounts of real cash for access to mystery rewards within a game. Players have no idea what might be in those packs before they buy them, meaning that players pay the same amount for either considerable rewards or practically nothing.

Numerous watchdogs have argued that such a feature constitutes gambling, since players are encouraged to spend money and allow luck to decide how much they should get in return.

Such a feature is a key part of games like Playerunknown's Battlegrounds and Fifa, which both give in-game advantages to players who spend money to get hold of mystery packs or boxes.

But it has received considerable criticism from players. Some titles, such as Star Wars Battlefront II, changed its policy on loot boxes after intense criticism following its reelase.

Now US Senator Josh Hawley – who has in the past attacked a wide variety of technology companies – has proposed new rules that would outlaw the feature. He said the new rules would stop the exploitation of children by developers.

He also called for a ban on "pay-to-win" games, where players might be allowed in for free but then forced to spend money if they actually want to progress within the title. He pointed in particular to Candy Crush, which encourages players to buy a $150 upgrade to help them progress in the game.

“Social media and video games prey on user addiction, siphoning our kids’ attention from the real world and extracting profits from fostering compulsive habits. No matter this business model’s advantages to the tech industry, one thing is clear: there is no excuse for exploiting children through such practices," he said in a statement.

“When a game is designed for kids, game developers shouldn’t be allowed to monetize addiction. And when kids play games designed for adults, they should be walled off from compulsive microtransactions. Game developers who knowingly exploit children should face legal consequences.”