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U.S legislator proposes bill to ban games with manipulative mechanics towards minors


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Its now official, gaming is faced with a game breaking law that will change the industry. After so many years of milking and exploiting the system, it appears enough is enough and action had to be taken against them. 

Recently, a U.S. senator has proposed a new bill that will ban monetary mechanics in games that are under 18. The argument is that the monetary practices are harmful to minors under 18 and constitute as gambling and are causing addiction. Loot boxes, pay to win mechanics, premium currency, even rare limited virtual items are the factors which are considered manipulative to children. Many games such as mobile games and Multiplayers have these kinds of systems. Its quite recent that big game companies have pushed to monetise their games aggressively.

If this bill were to pass, the entire gaming industry would be impacted by this. Developers would be forced to remove their monetary mechanics in their games, we would see the entire mobile games store get wiped off for having a ton of monetising games (Rip FE heroes.) Games around the world wouldn't even distribute such mechanics. Possibly more parental controls would be made to verify if the user is legal age to buy stuff and quite possibly the age limit could be amended for some games.

I think its good that this bill should pass. I do think that kids shouldn't be exposed to these kinds of systems that would encourage them to spend and beg for virtual items. Its concerning for me as i feel kids nowadays want to feel more special by spending and really is worrying for parents and the child's behaviour. Having this blocked off would make gaming for minors a lot more safer. Games wouldn't be bloated with forced paywalls or DLC, it would make these games alot cleaner. I've had enough with games shoehorning a paywall in their game to suck up more money than the game already needs.

Anyways, i think that;s all i got for now. I could talk about this more but i would let people have the chance to speak about here. I would like to hear your side of the story. What do you think about this new bill? How will it really affect the gaming community? Is it really for the better or worse?

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Well, it'd be true it will be a big hit. Though it will mean the games will simply be released as-is on the rest of the world. At least until they pass their own bills. Who else has this kind of law passed already? I know Belgium has.

Anyway, I've seen discussions on the matter. Some think it may not pass. Either due to Democrat opposition (this bill is being proposed by a Republican), or that lots of bribes will be incoming. Or that in the end, loopholes will be exploited or that it may end up being a toothless tiger or something like that. In general, I've yet to see much alarm over the bill. Perhaps I haven't seen the places where the opposite opinions abound. Perhaps. Well, support for the spirit of the bill, yes. That's something.

Personally... well, I don't live in the US. I'd still be on the lookout if my home country ever begins something like this as well.

Edited by Acacia Sgt
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2 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

Good. Gaacha, Lootbooxes and MTX are a Mistake. We need every country in the world to do that.

Or better yet, ban them alltogether, for everyone.

I agree, but as long as there is a lobby for this kind of shit, I can't see it sticking. I mean, proposing a bill and acting on it are two entirely different things. After all, it's the lobbyists that truly run the governments and all they care about is the sweet scent of money, nothing else. You or I don't interest them in the slightest.

The only way to truly fight this kind of stuff is to vote with your wallet and refuse to buy games that include MTX or Lootboxes, and stop downloading gacha games, no matter how they tout themselves as "Free2Play" (the tactics they use to get you to pay up are actually really similar to how drug dealers get their victims hooked. It's a scary thought, but it's true). So long as there is a market for this kind of stuff and profits to be made, it will only grow more and more potent.

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23 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

vote with your wallet

very hard to do since Whales exist, and as long as they do....

Me voting with my wallet and not buying anything changes nothing :/

I don't play any Gacha atm and uninstalled them all. Even if some of them had gameplay i liked, the grind just get's to me and once i feel forced to log in everyday i just uninstall.

Edited by Shrimperor
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I thought games that had gambling already had a rating boost? I know that virtual console Pokemon Red, Blue and Yellow were rated 12 due to having the game corner.

Honestly, I believe it should be up to the parents to know what is in the games they buy for their children.

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7 minutes ago, Lau said:

I thought games that had gambling already had a rating boost? I know that virtual console Pokemon Red, Blue and Yellow were rated 12 due to having the game corner.

Honestly, I believe it should be up to the parents to know what is in the games they buy for their children.

This.  While I don't like loot boxes and stuff like it it is not the companies fault if parents let their kids play the games and use money to buy stuff in game.  This reminds me of some dumb arguments I have heard against video games, which is why the rating system is in place and I still get carded for buying M rated games even though I am 27 because I have a baby face and look like I am 16.  If parents buy their kids an M rated game/game with loot boxes they can only blame themselves for anything they find bad about it, and why would you let your kid have a way to spend money in games like that anyway?  There is no way if I ever have a kid they would be able to spend money in game because there is no way I would let them have my card number.

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23 minutes ago, Lau said:

Honestly, I believe it should be up to the parents to know what is in the games they buy for their children.

 

6 minutes ago, EricaofRenais said:

If parents buy their kids an M rated game/

except most of those games aren't bought. Alot of them are ''Free''

And mosto f the gacha for example aren't M rated. Gacha games and lootboxes should be handled the same as gambling and should be controlled.

You don't just let a kid walk into a Casino and then say it's their Parent's fault he went there.

8 minutes ago, EricaofRenais said:

if I ever have a kid

you don't have a kid yet so you don't know.

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1 minute ago, Shrimperor said:

 

except most of those games aren't bought. Alot of them are ''Free''

And mosto f the gacha for example aren't M rated. Gacha games and lootboxes should be handled the same as gambling and should be controlled.

You don't just let a kid walk into a Casino and then say it's their Parent's fault he went there.

you don't have a kid yet so you don't know.

I get it and I don't know how gatchas should be handled so I have mixed feeling on it.  As to kids I may not have one, but I have kids who are my "adopted" nephews and niece and after watching them play Fortnite I will never be dumb enough to let my kid have my card number and I thank the lord my friend is smart enough not to give her boys her card number either because the oldest boy would have maxed out her card in 5 minutes.

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3 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

 

except most of those games aren't bought. Alot of them are ''Free''

And mosto f the gacha for example aren't M rated. Gacha games and lootboxes should be handled the same as gambling and should be controlled.

You don't just let a kid walk into a Casino and then say it's their Parent's fault he went there.

you don't have a kid yet so you don't know.

A lot of them are free indeed. However, if their kid is buying stuff with it, then yes, it's the parent's responsibility. What kind of parent would have their kid have access to such a ton of money to spend on these things anyway? That's not very responsible is it? If a kid is able to spend so much money on a mobile game to cause heavy addiction, then it's the parent's fault for not monetizing their children's actions and thus very irresponsible parenting. You're basically trying to blame children for not being parented well, which in turn is giving excuses for parents to pay less attention to what their kid is doing on their devices.

Gambling should be rated the same as games that involve sex, heavy violence and torture? That seems a little far fetched to me but that is an entirely different discussion which I won't dive deeper in.

Actually, yes it would be the parents fault. Responsible parents shouldn't even let their child get close to a casino, let alone enter it. If they enter it, (don't these establishments have security anyway that keeps these kids out?) then the parent should be to blame, because they didn't pay enough attention to their child and what they were doing. That is simply how parenting works. (this is also how it works with the law) 

Do you have children to give examples of?

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i've got a problem with this in general, and it's not because lootboxes aren't bad, because 'lootbox bad', but in the fact that this can (and could) easily be levied at both gacha games and CCG as well.

either all of those should be cracked down upon, or none should. yet people will somehow make some kind of exception for anything that isn't lootboxes or microtransactions?

plus, the person who is proposing this bill is a republican senator who is doing this for "think of the children" reasons, not because they genuinely want to clean up the industry or anything. 

if anything this type of law seems like a masturbatory way to get a bunch of people to circlejerk a politician when there are far more pressing problems that may be influencing this type of thing in the industry (especially in regards to corporate regulations).

Edited by Tryhard
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3 minutes ago, Michelaar said:

Responsible parents shouldn't even let their child get close to a casino, let alone enter it

I don't think Parents should follow their kids 24/7 until they are 18 <.<

5 minutes ago, Michelaar said:

Gambling should be rated the same as games that involve sex, heavy violence and torture?

Yes, because gambling can lead to addiction.

Also, a M rating will make Parents think twice before they get the stuff to their Kids.

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The trouble with removing these alternative revenue streams is that developers need to find a way to pick up the slack. In the case of high-budget games the problem is exactly that, they are high-budget i.e. they cost a lot to make. And while these production costs have only risen in the last 10 years, the box-price for a AAA game has remained squarely at £50 (or equivalent), meaning games companies have to pick up their profits elsewhere. And if I'm honest with myself as a consumer, I'm much more likely to buy a game with that pricetag and MTX that I know I can safely ignore should I choose to, than I would be to buy a game priced at £60, £70 or even higher. Because that's what we'd be looking at as an alternative.

Gacha games I have less sympathy for, as they clearly cost less to make (though obviously a non-trivial amount, considering all of the luxuriant character art that gets produced for those things), and the MTX is the main income stream rather than a supplementary one.

This whole discussion seems pretty immaterial either way, as other posters have mentioned. It'll be bandied about a bit in the American political system and the one who proposed the bill gets to add it to his CV or some crap like that. Pats on the back all around, no meaningful change for anyone.

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2 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

I don't think Parents should follow their kids 24/7 until they are 18 <.<

Yes, because gambling can lead to addiction.

Also, a M rating will make Parents think twice before they get the stuff to their Kids.

I'm not saying they should follow their children 24/7 until they are 18. But parents should raise their children and teach them that these things are bad. You don't enter casino's under 18 years old. If they do, then yes, the parent (does depend on the circumstances) is responsible. This is not only my opinion, but the law's opinion as well. Why else do you think parents get sued for things minors do?

Well, in that case, videogames might as well be 18+ only, since a videogame addiction is extremely common, even among minors.

This is why you do Research before you let your children play something. Remember the Doki Doki Literature club incident, where a child committed suicide after playing it, and the parents, who failed to notice anything and messed up their duty as a parent, tried to blame it on the game? This is neglegence. 

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5 minutes ago, Michelaar said:

This is not only my opinion, but the law's opinion as well.

only if they fail their supervisory duty (And i am pretty sure that doesn't mean they've to follow kids 24/7). Casino should control IDs as well when in doubt, for example. Same thing should apply for games with gambling elements.
Laws also differ from country to country.

8 minutes ago, Michelaar said:

This is why you do Research before you let your children play something.

Most reviews on gacha games: ''This is good''.

Fifa reviewes: ''Best Football simulator ever''

etc etc.

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1 minute ago, Shrimperor said:

only if they fail their supervisory duty (And i am pretty sure that doesn't mean they've to follow kids 24/7). Casino should control IDs as well when in doubt, for example. Same thing should apply for games with gambling elements.
Laws also differ from country to country.

Most reviews on gacha games: ''This is good''.

Fifa reviewes: ''Best Football simulator ever''

etc etc.

And for the most part, Casino's do check ID's. With videogames, and on the internet in general, it's a little difficult to prove your age. I could go out there right now and say I'm 30, and no ID sharing is necessary. You can just have a button ''By pressing this you comply that you are over 18'' but it's just a button. Other things I've heard, like uploading a picture of your ID, is illegal and goes against privacy laws. And we are talking about American law, so laws of other countries have nothing to do with our discussion.

This is exactly why you don't just go into the google play store and look at the reviews. Only an idiot goes in there looking for an accurate review of a product.

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nice, i agree

the 2017 me would've completely disagreed, but things have changed and now i'm more than ok with it

wish they did it here in italy too

Edited by Yexin
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3 minutes ago, Michelaar said:

This is exactly why you don't just go into the google play store and look at the reviews. Only an idiot goes in there looking for an accurate review of a product.

Tell that to a parent who doesn't know better. Parenty aren't exactly internet-savy.

That's why a big red GAMBLING sign will help those Parents alot

Edited by Shrimperor
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2 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

Tell that to a parent who doesn't know better. Parenty aren't exactly internet-savy.

That's why a big red GAMBLING sign will help those Parents alot

Oh for sure. But does that mean that it needs to be M for Mature? Absolutely not.

Also, that first line i'm just going to ignore because that is simply an awful excuse. Parents should know better.

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2 minutes ago, Michelaar said:

Parents should know better.

They should, but they don't. They didn't grow up in an age full of technology like us. That's why we should help them see stuff for what it is.

 

And yes, it needs M for Mature because Kids shouldn'T gamble.

Edited by Shrimperor
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5 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

They should, but they don't. They didn't grow up in an age full of technology like us. That's why we should help them see stuff for what it is.

And yes, it needs M for Mature because Kids shouldn'T gamble.

Again, that is no excuse. It's called 'going with the times.' If parents don't know how technology works (even then I don't know how many you think there are, I don't know many parents of the age that have young children that don't know how to use technology so I think you're vastly overstating this problem anyway) then they should educate themselves. It's all for the children right? Parents should not use this as an excuse to pay less attention to their children, just because their children may not like the monetization.

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1 hour ago, DragonFlames said:

I agree, but as long as there is a lobby for this kind of shit, I can't see it sticking.

Belgium banned lootboxes already, so it's not like this U.S bill is doing something that's unheard of.

_____________________________________________________

Anyway, if this bill forces companies like EA to get rid of their lootboxes and shit, i'm all for it. The bill may affect mobile games too but as someone who doesn't really play them anymore, i don't mind. 

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6 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Anyway, if this bill forces companies like EA to get rid of their lootboxes and shit, i'm all for it. The bill may affect mobile games too but as someone who doesn't really play them anymore, i don't mind. 

do you even play any game with lootboxes or microtransactions in them?

because if not playing games means you don't care about them, there would be no reason to care about lootboxes in games you don't care about

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