Clamp down on Fortnite 'loot boxes', urges children's commissioner

Anne Longfield calls for action to curb young players’ excessive in-game spending

The children’s commissioner for England has called for tighter legislation to protect young online gamers, some of whom are spending hundreds of pounds on “loot boxes” to keep up with friends and advance in games.

Anne Longfield wants ministers to amend current law so that loot boxes in games such as Fortnite and Fifa are classified as gambling. She also wants a maximum daily spending limit to be introduced for children to curb excessive in-game spending.

Randomised in-game microtransactions – more commonly known as “loot boxes” – have revolutionised the business of video games, offering publishers a revenue stream that can far outstrip the once-traditional £60 cost of a boxed game without triggering heated accusations of turning a game into a “pay to win” farce.

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/35V9vI7