The UK games industry has announced plans to limit access to loot boxes for individuals under the age of 18. Industry body Ukie has released a set of principles aimed at self-regulation within the sector.
The principles, recommended by the Technical Working Group convened by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, address concerns surrounding loot boxes in video games.
Minister for the Creative Industries, John Whittingdale, emphasized the need for the games industry to protect both children and adults from the potential harms associated with loot boxes. He expressed his support for the new principles and urged games companies to implement them effectively.
The first principle focuses on promoting parental controls that restrict the purchase of loot boxes for users under 18. Currently, parental controls vary across platforms and are often not easily accessible or simple to bypass.
Ukie requires game companies to disclose the probabilities of obtaining specific conten
To address this, a public information campaign will be launched to educate parents and guardians about loot boxes and the available parental control options on their child’s gaming console.
Another principle outlined by Ukie requires game companies to disclose the probabilities of obtaining specific content from loot boxes prior to purchase. While some games, like FIFA Ultimate Team, already provide such information, there is room for improvement in ensuring transparency and accuracy. In FIFA, for example, the disclosed probabilities are often overly general, resulting in inconsistent outcomes within the same category of item.
The progress of these new guidelines will be reviewed after one year.
Last year, the UK government called on the games industry to enhance player protection against loot boxes and stated that it would consider legislation if companies failed to implement adequate measures to ensure player safety.
