【1998 Archives】

Belgium wants no part of this new loot box craze in video games.

998 ArchivesBelgian Gaming Commission declared that loot boxes in video games like Star Wars Battlefront IIand Overwatchshould be considered a form of gambling, Belgian news outlet VTM Newsreported Tuesday (via PC Gamer), even going so far as saying that they should be banned in Belgium and Europe at large.

Loot boxes got on the Belgian Gaming Commission's radar amidst the controversy surrounding Star Wars Battlefront II, which has a progression system for abilities and weapons based around loot boxes that players can either unlock through gameplay or by purchasing them with real money. (The latter option has been temporarily disabled after community outcry.)

When players open loot boxes, they don't know what they'll contain, which some people equate to gambling games like slots. Sometimes you'll get something you want, sometimes you don't, except with loot boxes you tend to always get something new or a form of in-game currency so you're not completely wasting your money.

After the Belgian Gaming Commission announced it would be investigating loot boxes in connection to gambling a week ago, Battlefront II's publisher EA came out with a statement saying that its loot boxes are not a form of gambling.

"The crate mechanics of Star Wars Battlefront IIare not gambling," EA said. "A player’s ability to succeed in the game is not dependent on purchasing crates. Players can also earn crates through playing the game and not spending any money at all. Once obtained, players are always guaranteed to receive content that can be used in game."

The Belgian Gaming Commission appears to think otherwise. According to a Google translation of the VTM Newsarticle, the Belgian Minister of Justice Koen Greens said that putting gambling in gaming is dangerous for the mental health of children, who may be tempted to buy loot boxes.

Because of that, the commission wants loot boxes to be banned in Belgium and the rest of Europe.