A loot box is an optional in-game purchase that provides a randomized reward.[9]<\/a>\u00a0 The modern loot box is like the old, yellow mystery box in Nintendo’s Super Mario Brothers.[10]<\/a>\u00a0 In that video game, a person tapped the mystery box and Mario or Luigi received a randomized special ability (such as shooting fireballs at enemies).[11]<\/a>\u00a0 Like the mystery box in Super Mario Brothers, today’s loot box provides a randomized reward, such as a skin (i.e. a new outfit for a player’s avatar) or a catchphrase.[12]<\/a> The crucial difference between the mystery box in Super Mario Brothers and the loot box in today’s video games is money.\u00a0 Today, a player must purchase the loot box (with either in-game currency or real currency) to reap the randomized reward.[13]<\/a>\u00a0 By 2022, the video game industry anticipates $50 billion in revenue from loot boxes.[14]<\/a><\/p>\n As loot box purchases rise, lawmakers are taking notice.[15]<\/a>\u00a0 In both Belgium and the Netherlands, lawmakers moved to ban loot boxes.[16]<\/a>\u00a0 In Australia, lawmakers suggested that video games with loot boxes receive an “R” rating.[17]<\/a>\u00a0 However, people disagree on whether immediate regulatory action is appropriate.[18]<\/a>\u00a0 While some advocate for further studies,[19]<\/a> others (like Republican Senator Josh Hawley) see the correlation between loot boxes and gambling as a justification for immediate regulatory action.[20]<\/a>\u00a0 In May of 2019,\u00a0 Senator Hawley introduced a bill that bans loot box sales to minors.[21]<\/a>\u00a0 Conceivably, a minor\u2014lacking impulse control and financial judgement\u2014is more susceptible to the “loot box effect”[22]<\/a> (i.e. the compulsion to keep playing the odds).\u00a0 In an NPR interview, Senator Hawley stated “[Video game creators] need to be upfront about what their games are actually doing, and they need to stop practices that intentionally exploit children.”[23]<\/a><\/p>\n Compared to traditional gambling, a loot box costs as much as an average lottery ticket.[24]<\/a>\u00a0 For example, in Overwatch (a first-person shooter game) a person pays $9.99 for eleven loot boxes.[25]<\/a>\u00a0 Unlike a lottery ticket though, a minor can purchase a loot box.\u00a0 An easily accessible and inexpensive loot box (like the lottery ticket) can trigger addictive behaviors in an individual.[26]<\/a>\u00a0 Many players report spending hundreds to thousands of dollars on these in-game purchases.[27]<\/a>\u00a0 Some adults even claim that their children used credit cards without their knowledge to purchase loot boxes.[28]<\/a>\u00a0 In my opinion, there is no significant difference between the gambler who pays to play the slots and the gamer who purchases a loot box.\u00a0 In both scenarios, a person is paying to play her odds.\u00a0 The virtual loot box ought to be regulated.<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> See<\/em> @FortniteGame, Twitter (May 6, 2020, 10:01 AM), https:\/\/twitter.com\/FortniteGame\/status\/1258079550321446912.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> See<\/em> Tom Warren, Minecraft Still Incredibly Popular as Sales Top 200 Million and 126 Million Play Monthly<\/em>, The Verge (May 18, 2020, 9:00 AM), https:\/\/theverge.com\/2020\/5\/18\/21262045\/minecraft-sales-monthly-players-statistics-youtube.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> See<\/em> Nick Statt, Fortnite is Now One of the Biggest Games Ever with 350 Million Players<\/em>, The Verge (May 6, 2020, 1:54 PM), https:\/\/theverge.com\/2020\/5\/6\/21249497\/fortnite-350-million-registered-players-hours-played-april.<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> See<\/em> Sarah LeBoeuf, What is ‘Fortnite’?: A Look at the Video Game that has Become a Phenomenon<\/em>, NBC News (Jun. 30, 2018 8:27 AM), http:\/\/nbcnews.com\/tech\/tech-news\/what-fortnite-look-video-game-has-become-phenomenon-n887706.<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> See id.<\/em><\/p>\n [6]<\/a> See<\/em> Isobel Asher Hamilton, There’s a Debate Raging in Video Games Over Whether Loot Boxes Should be Classified as Gambling<\/em>, Business Insider (July 5, 2020, 5:22 AM), https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/classifying-video-game-loot-boxes-as-gambling-2020-7.<\/p>\n [7]<\/a> See id.<\/em><\/p>\n [8]<\/a> See id.<\/em>; see also<\/em> Julie Steinberg, Loot Box Lawsuits Liken Transactions to Slot Machine Gambling<\/em>, Bloomberg Law(Sept. 1, 2020, 1:57 AM), https:\/\/news.bloomberglaw.com\/product-liability-and-toxics-law\/loot-box-lawsuits-liken-transactions-to-slot-machine-gambling.<\/p>\n [9]<\/a> See<\/em> S. 1629, 116th Cong. \u00a7 2 (2019).<\/p>\n [10]<\/a> See<\/em> Ben Johnson, Loot Boxes are a Lucrative Game of Chance, But are They Gambling<\/em>, NPR: All Things Considered(Oct. 10, 2019, 5:08 PM), https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2019\/10\/10\/769044790\/loot-boxes-are-a-lucrative-game-of-chance-but-are-they-gambling.<\/p>\n [11]<\/a> See id.<\/em><\/p>\n [12]<\/a> See id.<\/em><\/p>\n [13]<\/a> See id.<\/em><\/p>\n [14]<\/a> See id.<\/em><\/p>\n [15]<\/a> See id.<\/em><\/p>\n [16]<\/a> See id.<\/em><\/p>\n [17]<\/a> See id.<\/em><\/p>\n [18]<\/a> See<\/em> Hamilton, supra<\/em> note 6 (stating “‘We’re really only in the early phases of gathering scientific research evidence about the nature of loot box effects,’ Professor Pete Etchells . . . told Business Insider. ‘What we really need is a clearer and stronger evidence base before legislation is changed.'”)<\/p>\n [19]<\/a> See id.<\/em><\/p>\n [20]<\/a> See<\/em> Johnson, supra<\/em> note 10.<\/p>\n [21]<\/a> S. 1629, 116th Cong. \u00a7 2 (2019).<\/p>\n [22]<\/a> See<\/em> Steinberg, supra<\/em> note 8.<\/p>\n [23]<\/a> See<\/em> Johnson, supra <\/em>note 10.<\/p>\n [24]<\/a> See id.<\/em><\/p>\n [25]<\/a> See id.<\/em><\/p>\n [26]<\/a> See id.<\/em><\/p>\n [27]<\/a> See id<\/em>; see also<\/em> Steinberg, supra<\/em> note 8.<\/p>\n
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