Alberto Garzón, Minister of Consumption, has announced that Spain will have a “specific law” that will regulate the use of Loot Boxes of video games, which allow you to obtain benefits or random rewards in exchange for paying an amount through virtual coins or real money. The new law, which aims to be a pioneer in Europe, will be presented “in a few weeks” and aims to guarantee the health of the most vulnerable players, such as minors.
The ‘Loot Boxes’, also called reward boxes, are present in a large number of video games and work, in a certain way, in a similar way to slot machines, given that users they must pay an amount of money in exchange for receiving a completely random prize. This, according to the Minister of Consumption, can have “negative consequences” on the players. Mainly, because they can lead to “thoughtless, compulsive or even pathological” behaviors.
Garzón, for his part, assures that the Loot Boxes are those “devices that have an economic value in a real or fictitious market and whose random prize can be resold or exchanged.” Interestingly, he also includes in the equation, NFTs and cryptocurrencies. At the moment, it is too soon to know the details of this new law that the government is preparing. The minister, however, assures that a regularization in this area “will allow fun and that this is compatible with the preservation and maximization of the health of all consumers and, in particular, of the most vulnerable”.
Several countries investigate the negative impact of loot boxes
Spain, yes, is not the only country that is trying to regulate the use of the ‘Loot Boxes’. In fact, the United States and dozens of countries in the European Union have been investigating the possible negative impact of this element on players for some time. Belgium also banned the use of these reward boxes in video games in 2018.
On the other hand, companies like Microsoft, Nintendo or Sony have a series of measures that aim to prevent the abuse of video game publishers when it comes to offering Loot Boxes to their players. These publishers, in particular, they should be transparent about the chances of getting random items in the said boxes of booty Meanwhile, EA ensures that the loot boxes of its video games are “quite ethical, fun and enjoyable for people.”