[Update] Us Legislator Calls Out Ea's 'Predatory Practices' Inwards Star Wars Battlefront 2

Rep. Chris Lee called the game a 'Star Wars-themed online casino.'

Belgium's Gaming Commission today declared that loot boxes inward videogames are a shape of gambling, as well as said that it would cause got the affair to Europe inward pursuit of a ban against them. But involvement in, as well as opposition to, the randomly filled digital boxes is gaining traction inward the US, too. Rep. Chris Lee of Hawaii posted a video to YouTube inward which he calls for "future protections for kids, youth, as well as everyone when it comes to the spread of predatory practices inward online gaming."
The video specifically addresses Star Wars Battlefront 2, the game that pushed the loot box contestation off a cliff. The title, for 1 thing, is "Highlights of the EA predatory lead announcement," as well as inward instance at that spot was whatsoever incertitude how he feels virtually it, Lee describes the game every bit "a Star Wars-themed online casino designed to lure kids into spending money.
"It's a trap," he says, showing off his Star Wars bona fides. "And this is something that nosotros ask to address to ensure that, peculiarly kids who are underage, who are non psychologically as well as emotionally mature plenty to last able to gamble—which is why gambling is prohibited nether 21—are protected from existence trapped into these cycles which cause got compelled many folks to pass thousands of dollars inward gaming fees online.
"We're looking at legislation this coming yr which could prohibit access, or prohibit the sale of these games, to folks who are underage, inward lodge to protect families, every bit good every bit prohibiting dissimilar kinds of mechanisms inward those games."
Lee said inward a follow-up Reddit post that the video truly wasn't supposed to become world yet, but somebody flora as well as shared it as well as he decided to piece of occupation out it upwards as well as "post hither to explicate that this struggle tin last won if people pace up.
"These kinds of lootboxes as well as microtransactions are explicitly designed to prey upon as well as exploit human psychology inward the same agency casino games are as well as hence designed," he wrote. "This is especially truthful for immature adults who modest psychologists as well as other experts explicate are peculiarly vulnerable. These exploitive mechanisms as well as the deceptive marketing promoting them cause got no house inward games existence marketed to minors, as well as maybe no house inward games at all."
In the video, Lee says that he's already been inward contact amongst legislators inward other states who are also taking a difficult await at loot boxes. "Frankly, nosotros don't ask to modify the laws inward every state," he wrote inward the Reddit post. "We only ask to modify a few as well as it volition last plenty to pull the trace of piece of occupation as well as compel change."
With all due honor to Belgium, I'd say that this is the sign that the ball has truly begun to roll. Where it rolls—and what it rolls over—I cannot laid out to guess. I can, however, aim you lot toward our to a greater extent than in-depth await at the instance for as well as against loot boxes, according to developers.
Thanks, Kotaku.

Thanks PC GAMER