2K begs Belgians to allow loot boxes

2K Games is shamelessly begging Belgian fans to ask their government to repeal the loot box ban. 

Earlier this year, the Belgium Gaming Commission (BGC) declared that loot boxes in video games violate the country’s gambling laws. In a press release, the company said that “while [they] disagree with this position, [they] are working to comply with BGC’s current interpretation of these laws.” In the meantime, they will have to turn off the ability to purchase premium packs  in NBA2K with unearned currency. 2K then asked gamers who support their position to contact their government representative.

The loot box controversy came to blows late 2017 after EA deeply ingrained them into the mechanics of Star Wars: Battlefront II. Players who did not purchase the boxes would have to grind a substantial number of hours to earn popular in-game characters and items. Thus giving loot box buyers a substantial advantage. 

As loot boxes are based on random chance, many gamers have likened them to gambling. This has led to calls for politicians to regulate them. Belgium was the first such country to do so, though several jurisdictions are still investigating the matter. 

2K comments are, unsurprisingly, tone deaf. Especially given the recent wave of anger regarding micro-transactions and loot boxes infecting premium priced games. . 

The real question at hand though is whether loot boxes are gambling. I suppose that depends on how you define it. They certainly are a game-of-chance. However, with the simples interpretation, you’d have to lump in CCG booster packs and blind bags in there. After all, loot boxes always give you something, even if it’s not the something you wanted. Gambling tends to have the odds stacked against you, with a significant chance not to receive anything at all. I don’t think loot boxes quite fit that definition. 

That said, they definitely are predatory. They exploit a small group of people who are willing to spend an inordinate amount of money to get an advantage. The industry calls them “whales”, and it seems that publishers are increasingly building their games to cater to this small minority of players. As such, it’s putting increasing pressure on other gamers to pay up to get ahead.  

Problem is, as we’ve seen from numerous cases dating back to the dawn of micro-transactions; more and more of these big spenders are minor. Of course it’s the parents’ responsibility to keep tabs on their kids, but it doesn’t make the business practise any less scummy. 

It’s not a great idea for governments to get involved in regulating or censoring any creative products. That opens up a whole can of worms. However, the industry has been twisting the arms of officials with the lack of action on the issue. Self-regulators like the ESRB were slow to address the controversy. When they finally did, they only included a generic “in game purchases” warning that would not effect the rating.

It seems video game companies are dead set on keeping their cash cow, and it’s unlikely the loot box/gambling issue will go away anytime soon. Ideally, the presence of loot boxes should impact the age rating of games. Though it seems that option is not on the table.

Gamers have certainly taken a lot of abuse from publishers over the years, but I doubt they’ll be going to bat for the industry over this one.