The gambling industry has been shaken by a recent controversy which involved the so-called loot boxes available in the brand new addition to the gaming world, Star Wars Battlefront II. In response to that situation, Hawaii State representatives Chris Lee and Sean Quinlan have issued a press conference which aims to publicly denounce the publicly condemned practices of Electronic Arts. Mr. Quinlan stated that loot boxes closely match the definition of gambling and as such, they have a similar effect to the players in the game.
His statement came after the official response of some of the organizations in the gaming field, to the likings of the Entertainment Software Association and the Entertainment Software Rating Board which claimed that loot boxes could not be classified as a form of gambling introduced to underage gamers playing the Battlefront II game. Mr. Quinlan stated that the mechanism of the said boxes is the same as thousands of games of chance spread around the world and they affect the player on a psychological level. With their addictive characteristics, they could potentially trigger gambling habits in the players and push them towards exploring the gambling world at a very early age.
The element of rewarding is also deeply rooted in the randomize loot boxes, so even if they do not match the strict definition of gambling, as the authorities in the gaming field claim, the loot boxes still have the same effect on people who participate in the video game. The Representative also said that he is certain that the developer of the game, EA Games, is going to implement the same gaming tool very soon and make an attempt to justify it again. He recalls instances in the past when the well-known gaming developer has impacted negatively studios such as Bullfrog, Origin, Westwood, Pandemic, Black Box, Mythic, and most recently Visceral Games.
EA Games Impact on the Gaming World
EA Games and Disney are two of the giants in the entertainment industry and as such, they have quite the influence on a world scale. Mr. Quinlan also added that consumers and gamers around the world tend to forget smaller details and he is positive that the giants rely on this flaw of human beings. As a consequence, they could make a new attempt to implement loot boxes in a future project or even reactivate the use of real-life money for in-game purchases. The representative also expressed his disappointment with the fact that such a beloved franchise as the Star Wars universe and its characters are being used by money-driven corporations.
Experts well-acquainted with the way the developers’ studio is working are positive that it is going to opt for this gaming solution very soon in another gaming offering. Following the statement, the two representatives of the State of Hawaii requested an official opinion by the Attorney General Doug Chin regarding the question. The official position is yet to be publicly announced.
