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Gaming => Game News Discussion => Topic started by: Legend on Feb 13, 2018, 08:34 PM

Title: Hawaii has introduced 4 bills that prohibit the sale of games with loot boxes to anyone under 21, force publishers to disclose odds
Post by: Legend on Feb 13, 2018, 08:34 PM
Hawaii has introduced 4 bills that prohibit the sale of games with loot boxes to anyone under 21, force publishers to disclose odds - VG247 (https://www.vg247.com/2018/02/13/hawaii-loot-boxes-bills/)

Sounds really good, at least as a start. Might not be the best method but just being introduced puts continued pressure on the games industry to think about their monetization methods (or lobby more).
Title: Re: Hawaii has introduced 4 bills that prohibit the sale of games with loot boxes to anyone under 21, force publishers to disclose odds
Post by: the-pi-guy on Feb 15, 2018, 10:57 PM
The ESA responds to Hawaii's loot box regulation proposals | ResetEra (https://www.resetera.com/threads/the-esa-responds-to-hawaii%E2%80%99s-loot-box-regulation-proposals.23616/)

 
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Update (14/02/18): In response to an inquiry from GamesIndustry.biz, a spokesperson from the Entertainment Software Association defended the industry's record on self-regulation, and drew attention to existing consumer protection systems such as the ESRB classifications and parental controls.Click to expand...
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"As an industry, we take our responsibility to consumers very seriously and continually work to create greater awareness and transparency about the wide range of in-game experiences," said the spokesperson. "We strongly believe that the industry's robust, self-regulatory efforts remain the most effective way to address these important issues, and that system has a proven and long record of doing so. "Some consumers and parents may have questions about how loot boxes work, and ESA has demonstrated a commitment to providing information to guide consumers, especially parents, in their purchase decisions."Click to expand...
Follow up from the state of Hawaii
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Update (15/02/18): Hawaiian state representative Sean Quinlan has affirmed support of his colleague's efforts to "curb the proliferation of gambling mechanics in games that are marketed to children", saying he expects other states to follow Hawaii's lead in the "absence of strong signals from the industry that they will deal with the issue internally". In December last year, Quinlan said that regulation would be a "slippery slope" and that the industry should self-regulate (https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-12-01-games-industry-must-self-regulate-on-loot-boxes-says-state-representative).Click to expand...
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"When I was a teenager, a senator by the name of Joseph Lieberman tried to regulate the content of violent video games," Quinlan told GamesIndustry.biz. "His attempts to conflate video game violence with real world violence did lasting damage to the image of video games and certain publishers. "I want to make it clear that we are only regulating a mechanism, not the content of the game itself. I would hope that any further legislation dealing with video games would similarly only look at particular mechanisms and not content itself. "We live in an age where behavioral psychologists have discovered certain triggers and strategies that are extremely efficient at separating people from their money at a frightening pace. If even mature and intelligent adults are falling victim to these mechanisms, how are kids expected to respond?"Click to expand...
Source: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/artic...duces-landmark-legislation-against-loot-boxes (https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-02-13-hawaii-introduces-landmark-legislation-against-loot-boxes) ESA continuing to shift the responsibility to self-regulation, when zero self-regulation is happening. The industry and its current regulation bodies are going to get slammed for this passing the buck and no one doing anything.  
Title: Re: Hawaii has introduced 4 bills that prohibit the sale of games with loot boxes to anyone under 21, force publishers to disclose odds
Post by: the-pi-guy on Feb 15, 2018, 11:07 PM
Probably should have posted it here in the first place.
Title: Re: Hawaii has introduced 4 bills that prohibit the sale of games with loot boxes to anyone under 21, force publishers to disclose odds
Post by: Legend on Feb 15, 2018, 11:38 PM
It is nice to think about the fact that it's been 20 years since the last gov. scare. Way more adults are gamers or have played games, compared to back then.
Title: Re: Hawaii has introduced 4 bills that prohibit the sale of games with loot boxes to anyone under 21, force publishers to disclose odds
Post by: BananaKing on Feb 16, 2018, 04:11 AM
I like that they want the devs to disclose the odds. I think it's fair that they do so. Of course pubs don't give a rat's dog about what's fair.
Title: Re: Hawaii has introduced 4 bills that prohibit the sale of games with loot boxes to anyone under 21, force publishers to disclose odds
Post by: Legend on Feb 18, 2018, 05:08 PM
"Additionally, should the bill pass, publishers will be prohibited from updating a game post-release to feature loot box mechanics"

Oh boy that'd be incredible. Would stop loot boxes from being snuck in after claiming they weren't in the game.
Title: Re: Hawaii has introduced 4 bills that prohibit the sale of games with loot boxes to anyone under 21, force publishers to disclose odds
Post by: Legend on Feb 21, 2018, 04:18 AM
Chris Lee (loot box bills): "ESA lobbyists roaming the halls of the state capitol here as we speak" | ResetEra (https://www.resetera.com/threads/chris-lee-loot-box-bills-esa-lobbyists-roaming-the-halls-of-the-state-capitol-here-as-we-speak.24667/)

 
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Chris Lee, the state representative from Hawaii who wants to take action against video games with "predatory" loot boxes (https://www.gamespot.com/articles/if-this-new-video-game-loot-box-bill-becomes-law-i/1100-6456767/), believes we are in the midst of a turning point when it comes to the video game industry and its business practices. The industry has to stop taking advantage of players with exploitive practices related to microtransactions, he told GameSpot in an interview. The time is right now due to the "generational transition" where lawmakers and people in power are becoming more attuned to video games. "We have to try and stand up for what is right," Lee said. "I think it is inevitable that, whether it was spurred by Battlefront or some of the recent big-title games just being so ridiculously exploitative of the player base, there is enough of generational transition in politics and positions of authority around the country and the world, that you have people who understand what the industry is doing and are willing to stand up and take action and do something about it. Inevitably, the industry will have to change. "Because more and more jurisdictions are going to start protecting their citizens from the kinds of exploitive and predatory practices that the industry has been employing lately. Inevitably, that means a better industry for everybody and better games for everybody."Click to expand...
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"There are ESA lobbyists roaming the halls of the state capitol here as we speak who have been flown out to try and stop any sort of conversation about these issues from happening," he said. We have followed up with the ESA in an attempt to get more details on its ambitions as it relates to Lee's bills and others with similar language in state legislatures across the US.Click to expand...
More @ https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ridiculously-exploitive-loot-boxes-must-change-law/1100-6456798/ First time I haven't copied the title 1:1, but it's the nugget above from this article that makes it stand out from yet another loot box topic. (even if this is yet another loot box topic)  
Title: Re: Hawaii has introduced 4 bills that prohibit the sale of games with loot boxes to anyone under 21, force publishers to disclose odds
Post by: Legend on Feb 28, 2018, 08:53 PM