Steele-John has stated that many loot boxes use the same psychological mechanisms used in other forms of gambling, such as usage enhancement ratios or permanent availability
After a few months of waiting, finally came the result of the last "battle" of the loot boxes world war, which was happening in Australia. The country's Senate was promoting a wide- ranging inquiry into the video game industry and the question of the possible malicious influence of loot boxes on players, and the publication of the report had been postponed since September as new elements were continually being collected.
In the end, the report of the commission responsible for its elaboration asks only the government for a broad analysis of the phenomenon of loot boxes, involving various agencies and regulators of the Australian federal state. No immediate measures have been aligned, and few or no concrete recommendations will be followed for now.
The question of loot boxes
The controversial and political theme of the gaming industry, which we have been talking about here in Oficina da Net for some time , has not "hit" the national authorities and not even the Brazilian media, much less public opinion. The issue arose gradually during the second half of 2017 to rave reviews the features of games blockbuster like "Overwatch" and "Star Wars: Battlefront II" after arise reports that some players would be spending thousands of dollars. In November 2017, the Belgian authorities said that the concept of a loot box should be banned throughout the European Union, and nobody doubted that politicians and the media were serious about it. |
| Loot boxes |
A loot box is a game monetization feature that works in a way too similar to a virtual slot machine. The player makes a small payment (the micro-transaction) and rises the chance of getting an extra item to make progress more easily in his game, or for purely aesthetic reasons. If the loot box does not award you, it can make new payment and risk again.
The odds of winning the prize are set by GNA (Random Number Generator) software with an oddity set by the developer of the video game, just like the slots found on online casino platforms like the Betsson casino. But if online casinos do not allow access to minors and clearly announce how their game works, in video games everything is much more discreet and confusing. Players do not have the feeling they are playing as if they are in a casino, as it really is not. But if it works the same way, should it not be considered?
International controversy
The media and authorities in several countries have been taking a stand over the past year. The focus of the battle is in Europe, North America and Australia, countries that combine a strong culture of gaming along with democratic institutions and of very strong reflexive criticism as well. Belgium even ended up classifying the loot boxes as a form of gambling and forbade the developers to make this functionality available in their market. In the United States, a Representative from Hawaii has launched a bill against loot boxes, and more recently it has been announced that the gaming authorities of 15 European countries and the US state of Washington are working together to define a common position about the loot boxes.
The protests of Senator Steele-John
Senator Jordon Steele-John, who was the promoter of the inquiry, protested against the findings. Still, according to Stevivor, Steele-John stated that "many loot boxes use the same psychological mechanisms used in other forms of gambling, such as reuse ratios or permanent availability." More importantly, the senator pointed out that the report omits or goes against the conclusions that the survey itself allowed to draw. According to Steele-John, the survey directly referred to the similarities between the operation of loot boxes and various types of casino games, providing clear evidence of this similarity, but none of this was mentioned in the report.
Jordon Steele-John is a non-vulgar politician. Several times referred to in the Australian media in articles on this subject, he is at the forefront of the fight against the loot boxes and the developers. At only 24, he is the youngest ever senator from Australia. His interest in politics is partly related to his physical condition: he suffers from a type of cerebral palsy that forces him to move in a wheelchair, and is a defender of the rights of people with disabilities.
He did not stop there, nor assume himself as a politician of a single cause. However, it is fact that your particular interest in gaming issues is also related to your personal factors - especially your age. In an interview with the Australian newspaper ABC, he said that the vast majority of his fellow senators, much older than him, simply is not paying sufficient attention to the subject of gaming, because of generation gap.
Could politicians be expected to be interested in all issues affecting society? Yes, but they are no less representative of their electorate, even in a solid and advanced democracy like Australia. Being gaming the social revolution that has been in the last decade, it is perhaps understandable that politicians with a career in the active do not pay attention to this subject. Steele-John, born in 1994, said everything when he told ABC that his colleagues think gaming "stopped at Pacman's time."
Steele-John ended his intervention by making more serious accusations, accusing his Senate opponents of being "sold" to the interests of developers and the gaming industry in general.
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