With the UK government’s recent decision not to ban the contentious in-game monetisation system, loot boxes have been effectively given the green light, and Electronic Arts (EA) has announced it is most likely to continue using them in FIFA 23’s Ultimate Team mode.
To defend Ultimate Team card packs, which have been criticised by parents’ groups and players for their ties to gambling and their ability to facilitate pay-to-win in competitive modes, EA stated in its defence by arguing that the Ultimate Team and FUT packs add “real-world excitement” and help players in “building and managing a squad.” EA also defended the “fair” practice of allowing players to spend money as part of the game if they choose to.
The video game business as a whole brings in billions of dollars annually from loot boxes, and the EA FIFA games are no exception to this trend. Offering in-game purchases like new designs and customisable colour schemes for chosen characters, FIFA 2021’s loot boxes produced over a billion dollars in revenue, and the game has posted record profits year after year as a result. However, loot boxes, which allow players to purchase a chance at random in-game gifts with real money, have been the topic of widespread criticism for some time, and they are increasingly being investigated by law enforcement. There have been cases of companies using deceptive marketing strategies to offer loot boxes to children, opening the door for them to get hooked on gambling. Nevertheless, EA claims that loot boxes are not gambling but rather “surprise mechanics,” even though multiple studies have found a correlation between loot box use and compulsive gambling.
As loot boxes continue to remain a controversial part of current video game design, there have been attempts to legally recognise them as a form of gambling in the United Kingdom and other nations. Several countries, including Australia, offer a similar mechanic when it comes to real money betting, most notably in the form of bonus bets, sports credits, and free tournaments; however, unlike loot boxes, they are regulated. In addition, many European countries like the Netherlands and Belgium have already passed anti-loot-box laws after connecting the trend with gambling addiction.
Eighteen European countries have supported research claiming gamers are being manipulated and exploited by loot boxes in video games. According to campaigners, young people are exposed to gambling when they buy loot boxes, and unlike the most reputable online casinos, there is no minimum age requirement to purchase these packs. The likelihood of getting one of the game’s finest players, Kylian Mbappe, for your side was examined in a study on the debate around loot boxes. Researchers determined that the odds of obtaining the player card in a Jumbo Rare Players pack were 0.11%. As a result, to add the Frenchman to one’s squad, one would have to spend an average of 847 Jumbo Rare Players packs. Another option is for users to invest actual money to acquire the pack. Nonetheless, football games like FIFA are still set on implementing the microtransaction system.
In light of recent events, EA’s Vice President of legal and government affairs, Kerry Hopkins, defended loot boxes before Parliament by arguing that the system is comparable to toys like Kinder Eggs and Hatchimals. The government of the United Kingdom has also weighed in on the issue; however, it has chosen to refrain from enacting formal policy. Instead, it highlighted the potential risks of loot boxes to players’ mental health, finances, and gaming habits. In addition to not considering loot boxes as a form of gambling, the UK government has also pointed out that the high expense of regulation would provide difficulties in implementation and unintended consequences.
