UK Says Loot Boxes Will Not Be Banned! But Asks Gaming Industry to Self-Regulate

The United Kingdom (UK) government assures that loot boxes in video games would not be banned even after its inquiry in 2020.

The government of the UK has already formally responded to its loot box inquiry last 2020, saying that it would not regulate loot boxes, at least for now.

According to a recent report by Euro Gamer, the UK government launched a call for evidence on loot boxes in June 2020.

The UK Says Loot Boxes Would Not Be Banned

But this time, as per the latest news story by PC Gamer, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sports, shortly known as DCMS, believes that there is no need for the UK government to start regulating loot boxes in video games.

And instead, the UK DCMS says that the gaming industry, in general, should be asked to self-regulate in the meantime, as to avoid the requirement of any legislative regulation.

The DCMS Secretary of State, the Rt. Hon. Nadine Dorries, MP, says that it is still "premature" to regulate loot boxes for now.

Essentially, PC Gamer notes that the latest decision of the UK DCMS means that loot boxes on video games would be spared from the Gambling Act of the British nation.

The Secretary of State of DCMS says that "our view is that it would be premature to take legislative action without first pursuing enhanced industry-led measures to deliver protections for children and young people and all players."

She also adds that they want to mobilize the "creativity, innovation, and technical expertise" of the gaming industry to "deliver tangible progress, improving at pace protections."

However, the Secretary of State further says in her report that if the industry would not improve, they will not think twice to start regulating loot boxes.

UK's Guidelines for Loot Boxes

But on top of that, the government of the UK still has a couple of guidelines involving the loot boxes system on various gaming titles.

For instance, the purchase of loot boxes should only be available to young minds and children when their guardian has permitted them.

And what's more, players, regardless if they are young or not, are required to have access to options that give them spending controls, and transparent information on their spending.

In addition to that, the guidelines in the UK also ask the gaming industry to provide their data to gaming researchers in hopes of better improving it in the future.

It is worth noting that the research could also be used for any policies that need to be in place moving forward.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Teejay Boris