Germany is seriously concerned about the problem of loot boxes and their impact on minors. Now the authorities are preparing a special reform that may prohibit the sale of games with similar mechanics to minors.
On March 5, the Bundestag approved the adoption of the reform of the Law on the Protection of Youth (Jugendschutzgesetzes), which has been in force for 20 years. This is reported by the German publication Der Spiegel.
If the reform is eventually adopted by the federal Council, it could directly affect video game developers and publishers. The law deals with the risks and negative impact of loot boxes and other gambling mechanics on children and adolescents.
“Online games and other applications using loot boxes or similar in-game offers are likely to be labeled 18+,” says lawyer Julia Maris (Juila Maris).
A vivid example is a series of FIFA games that actively uses loot boxes in the Ultimate Team mode. If the reform is adopted, Electronic Arts may be forced to abandon microtransactions in order to maintain the 3+ age rating in Germany. If the company decides to keep the loot boxes, it will not be able to sell the game to minors.
Now the problem of loot boxes is being actively discussed by governments of different countries. Last year, the Dutch regulator recognized the loot boxes in FIFA as illegal and fined EA. A recent study also showed that 34% of British teenagers started buying loot boxes from the age of 13, and some families even had to mortgage their property.