On Thursday, there was an expert discussion on the topic of loot boxes. The appeal to establish further regulations was renewed
Are loot boxes gambling? What impact do FC 24 packs or Counter-Strike boxes have on children and young people? And what does the legal situation actually look like? Six experts from politics, science and youth protection spoke on these topics on Thursday at an event organized by a major gaming provider in Berlin.
Gaming manufacturers and the industry association game, which had already spoken out against further regulations, did not attend. Despite “intensive efforts”, as the organizer explained in the opening. This could be due to the connection between the business area of “WestLotto” and the topic. A discussion did not take place without the game manufacturers, but was not even planned in the program. Instead, however, there were different perspectives and a renewed appeal. Despite the framework, some speakers were not sparing with their criticism of loot boxes and confusing monetization practices
Right at the start of the event, Fabian Gramling, member of the Bundestag and games rapporteur for the CDU/CSU, demanded: “It is the job of politicians to solve problems – and loot boxes are a problem. We need regulation to ensure the protection of children and young people.” Anna Kassautzki (SPD), Deputy Chairwoman of the Bundestag Digital Committee, called for a differentiated view, but also for action: “We must not demonize everything, but we must recognize the dangers. “
More research needed
Such dangers are particularly present for minors in relation to loot boxes, illustrated Prof. Dr. Gerhard Bühringer from the Institute of Clinical Psychology and Therapy at TU Dresden. After all, the neurobiological and psychosocial maturation processes of children and adolescents are not complete. This is one reason why the age rating for EA SPORTS FC 24 was raised to 12 years, as the USK eSport explained.
However, Prof. Dr. Bühringer also pointed out that more research is needed and that causal statements cannot yet be made. This is due, among other things, to shortcomings in measuring instruments and the fact that the data is only collected on a random basis. Accordingly, loot boxes are only “probably risky for minors”.
The unanimous tenor: rules are needed and they need to be enforced promptly. This is because children and young people grow up with gambling-like content and/or loot boxes, but would not learn how to use them properly.
“They can’t even classify the subscriptions and monetization phenomena. Parents also don’t have an overview of what is actually happening there,” explained Linda Scholz from the Fachstelle Jugendmedienkultur NRW. A regulatory proposal was already presented last year. Most recently, the Bremen state parliament adopted and forwarded a motion for a nationwide ban on loot boxes.
