In recent years, a growing number of video game developers and publishers have begun to introduce features into video games in the form of gambling that targets children and the vulnerable.  Even though it is not considered gambling under the law, it still shares many of the same traits and methods.

This gambling comes in the form of “loot boxes” that can be purchased with in-game currency(often bought with real money) to get in-game items that majority of the time are worth less then what was paid for, or sometimes worth more, hence the Gambling. 

This has started to heavily effect mine and many others experience with some games as “loot boxes” are starting to become a common thing with content starting to become difficult to unlock without buying “loot boxes” or games becoming pay2win due to the best items being locked into the “loot boxes”. 

Examples of this are Star Wars Battlefront 2, Middle Earth Shadow of War and Forza 7 which have all recently received negetive feedback due to these “loot boxes”. 

This is a problem that China has already addressed. Any game in China with “loot boxes” has to display the odds/chances of what will be inside the “Loot Box”. Another solution will be to make any game with a “loot boxes” must be adult only games with a big warning sticker warning the game contains Gambling.

I find it extremely worrying that it is illegal for children to gamble in a casino or on pokie machines but is legal for a Video Game developer to add a real money gambling element to their games to prey on the young and vulnerable.