Washington Senator Takes Aim at Loot Boxes

Loot boxes are still a problem, unsurprisingly, and it had become such a prevalent topic among gamers that their combined anger (specifically at Star Wars Battlefront 2) sparked even lawmakers to jump into the fray, specifically Belgium and a senator from Hawaii. And now a Washington senator, Kevin Ranker, has decided to see if the law can do anything to stem the tide.

The bill, which is being considered in Washington, will determine if Loot Boxes are technically gambling or not. Then, it will charge the games industry (which is quite prevalent in Washington, with both Nintendo and Microsoft having offices there) with figuring out how to regulate themselves so the US government won’t have to do it for them.

“It is unacceptable to be targeting our children with predatory gambling masked in a game with dancing bunnies or something.”

Yep, that really shows he understands the problem behind it.

Regardless, don’t get too excited, kids: even if it passes, which is unlikely, it’s far from a hard-line stance on the issue, which is probably a good thing. Plus, historically, these types of campaigns have happened before: Baseball Cards, for example, were once under attack for being a type of gambling, and legislators threatened to regulate it much in the way casinos are. The case was lost, however, when it was pointed out that in baseball cards (and with loot boxes) you always walk away with something, even if it’s not exactly what you wanted. Gambling, on the other hand, meant you were more likely than not to only ever lose money.

That said, since Loot Boxes are still predatory—particularly for people who have poor impulse control and addictive personalities—it’s entirely possible that Loot Boxes would be “the line”.

Still, no way to know for sure. At least, not yet.