EU Parliament calls for measures against loot boxes and Co. in games

The EU Parliament has voted to better protect gamers from deliberate manipulation by the gaming industry. You are sending a request to the EU Commission to take action in this area. For example, you have in mind loot boxes and microtransactions as well as game mechanics that are intended to make you addicted.

Unfortunately, every gamer knows this: You play a title and come across artificial hurdles that cannot be overcome even with the greatest skill – but you can with the payment of a certain amount of money. With particularly hardened developers, one even gets the impression that the gameplay is secondary and is only built around the microtransactions. According to the EU Parliament, younger players in particular should be better protected from falling into an addiction spiral.

Among other things, uniform rules for the European Union and systems that help parents to understand what their children are investing in computer and video games are required. For example, one wishes that the age rating system Pan European Game Information (PEGI) included loot boxes and microtransactions in its age ratings. Titles with such mechanics could then automatically receive higher ratings.

With its vote, the EU Parliament is also asking the Commission to generally evaluate the effects of loot boxes and purchase requests for microtransactions. Gold farming should also be examined more closely in some titles for links to white-collar crime and human rights violations. Other suggestions call for more data protection and appeal to developers not to consciously promote gambling addiction and to take on social responsibility.

At the same time, however, the economic and cultural value of video games is also recognized. Therefore, one also wishes that the EU Commission would develop a European video game strategy in order to promote the local industry.

Incidentally, the latter was less enthusiastic. Industry associations have criticized that more rigid rules regarding microtransactions could endanger the financial security of the industry. This could make it harder to justify triple-A projects, the claim goes.

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