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Washington — Consumer advocates have urged US regulators to investigate video game maker Electronic Arts for the misleading use of a digital “loot box” that “aggressively” urges players to spend more money while playing a popular soccer game.
The groups Fairplay, Centre for Digital Democracy and 13 other organisations urged the Federal Trade Commission to probe the EA game FIFA: Ultimate Team.
In the game, players build a soccer team using avatars of real players, and compete against other teams. In a letter to the Federal Trade Commission, the groups said the game usually costs $50 to $100 but that the company would push players to spend more while they played.
“It entices players to buy packs in search of special players,” said the letter sent by these groups along with the Consumer Federation of America and Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health and others.
The packs, or loot boxes, are packages of digital content sometimes purchased with real money that give the purchaser a potential advantage in a game. They can be purchased with digital currency, which can obscure how much is spent, they said
“The chances of opening a coveted card, such as a Player of the Year, are minuscule unless a gamer spends thousands of dollars on points or plays for thousands of hours to earn coins,” the groups said in the letter.
The letter also linked the loot boxes to gambling.
“In some cases, young people who have already developed problem gambling behaviours seek out games with loot boxes; for others, loot boxes are a gateway to problem gambling,” they wrote.
The Federal Trade Commission, which goes after companies that engage in deceptive behaviour, held a workshop on loot boxes in 2019. The agency has noted that video game micro-transactions have become a multibillion-dollar market.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Video gaming company accused of milking users
Washington — Consumer advocates have urged US regulators to investigate video game maker Electronic Arts for the misleading use of a digital “loot box” that “aggressively” urges players to spend more money while playing a popular soccer game.
The groups Fairplay, Centre for Digital Democracy and 13 other organisations urged the Federal Trade Commission to probe the EA game FIFA: Ultimate Team.
In the game, players build a soccer team using avatars of real players, and compete against other teams. In a letter to the Federal Trade Commission, the groups said the game usually costs $50 to $100 but that the company would push players to spend more while they played.
“It entices players to buy packs in search of special players,” said the letter sent by these groups along with the Consumer Federation of America and Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health and others.
The packs, or loot boxes, are packages of digital content sometimes purchased with real money that give the purchaser a potential advantage in a game. They can be purchased with digital currency, which can obscure how much is spent, they said
“The chances of opening a coveted card, such as a Player of the Year, are minuscule unless a gamer spends thousands of dollars on points or plays for thousands of hours to earn coins,” the groups said in the letter.
The letter also linked the loot boxes to gambling.
“In some cases, young people who have already developed problem gambling behaviours seek out games with loot boxes; for others, loot boxes are a gateway to problem gambling,” they wrote.
The Federal Trade Commission, which goes after companies that engage in deceptive behaviour, held a workshop on loot boxes in 2019. The agency has noted that video game micro-transactions have become a multibillion-dollar market.
Reuters
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