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The Senate investigation into "micro-gambling transactions for objects based on luck" – otherwise known as the loot box investigation – tabled its report to Parliament, recommending to the government federal government to "conduct a" comprehensive review of loot boxes in video games ".
The Senate approved the investigation at the end of June this year, initially setting September 17 as the date of submission of the report. The committee voted in favor of a two-time extension of the reporting deadline to allow more testimony. The report was tabled by Senator Verts Hanson-Young tonight
The main conclusion of the report was that the Department of Communications and the Arts, in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Services, ACMA, ACCC and the Office of the Commissioner for Online Safety, launched a review of boxes with objects. This review, it was suggested, should also begin "in further research on the potential risks of gambling-related damage resulting from interaction with the surprise boxes".
The report noted that a "global consensus" on whether or not bootleg crates are considered games of chance "has not been achieved, and a consistent approach to addressing the issue does not occur. was not adopted ".
Recommendation 1
5.16 The committee recommends that the Australian government conduct a comprehensive review of video game boxes. This review should be led by the Department of Communications and the Arts in collaboration with ACMA, ACCC, the Office of the Commissioner of Electronic Security, the Clbadification Committee and the Department of Social Services.
5.17 This review should lead to further research into the risk of gambling-related damage due to interaction with loot chests; identify any regulatory or policy gaps that may exist in Australian regulatory frameworks; to examine the adequacy of the clbadification system with respect to video games containing surprise boxes; to determine whether existing consumer protection frameworks adequately address the problems of the vaults; and to ensure that Australia's approach to the issue is in line with that of its international counterparts.
The committee noted that a study submitted by Dr. Zendle and Cairns, described as "the only current empirical evidence" linking loot boxes to problem gambling, warranted further research. The report adds that "badogous evidence" comparing the mechanisms of loot boxes to other forms of gambling is "compelling":
During the investigation, similar evidence was presented comparing both the mechanics of object boxes and the potential for gambling-related damage, to other more widespread forms of gambling. We have found this evidence compelling, particularly in light of the evidence that surprise boxes use a number of psychological mechanisms observed in other forms of gambling, such as slot machines.
The committee's report "acknowledges the community's concern" about the boxes, but states that video games and games of chance are regulated by organizations such as the Department of Communications and the Arts (which oversees the Clbadification Committee), ACMA, ACCC, Department of Social Services. and the Office of the Commissioner of Electronic Security.
The committee did not recommend the common thread of the various submissions to the Commission, namely that loot boxes or microtransactions are recognized in the clbadification system.
The Australian Greens, whose senator Jordon Steele-John chaired the inquiry in the Upper House, challenged the majority's findings and criticized the members of the Workers' and Coalition Group for ignoring the observations submitted to the inquiry.
"It has been argued that the risk for children, youth and even vulnerable adults to develop game – related injuries through interaction with loot boxes is so important that regulators should seek to prohibit or restrict the use of bootlegs. access to games containing goal boxes, "said the senator. Steele-John said.
In their dissenting remarks, the Greens called on the clbadification committee to re-evaluate and evaluate games in which their penalty box mechanisms "fit the psychological definition of the game" and can be monetized as R18. Those whose loot box mechanisms do not allow the monetization of virtual objects, but still meet the psychological criteria, must be clbadified in the MA15 category.
"We do not think that introducing measures such as proper labeling and clbadification is so expensive that the profitability of the video game industry would be compromised," the party said.
The Greens, however, thanked the local video game industry for setting up parental controls on platforms and consoles. "It is clear that the Australian video game industry is willing to engage with regulators to address community concerns and develop an appropriate response," the Greens wrote.
The survey has collected 42 separate communications from various statutory bodies, state legislators, representatives of the gambling industry, personalities and academics. The strongest demands for regulation have come from members of the public and academia, as well as from certain sectors of government, including the Queensland Attorney General and the Minister of Justice.
The Senate inquiry on the booty boxes will report today.
After being delayed twice to allow more evidence, the federal bootleg survey will report its findings this afternoon, according to Kotaku Australia.
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The Interactive Games & Entertainment Association, which represented developers and publishers, argued that chests were "only a form of optional microtransactions" and that "publishers, developers, and platforms do not generally allow the exchange of chests, virtual objects or game points "secondary markets.
"The surprise boxes use the same mechanisms of" surprise and joy "as trading cards, Kinder Surprises cards and many other consumer products have been using for years," industry advocates said.
This argument has been targeted by individuals and academics, former Kotaku editor and collaborator Jeremy "Junglist" Ray, describing the comparison of Kinder Surprise or collectible cards as misleading. "Often what you get has a tiny or no value, and it's often a copy of something you've earned before," Ray wrote.
"The chances of winning something of great value are carefully calculated not only for the house to always win, but also for the player to feel almost always won."
A recommendation to update the clbadification system was a common thread among all presentations from industry and government. NSW Liquor Gaming & Racing Assistant Secretary, Paul Newson, suggested that the increase in the clbadification of games "that have features similar to those of the game, even when the game itself does not constitute a game, could offer better protection to consumers ".
"We recommend that games containing paid chests also include a descriptor stating that the game itself contains game content," IGEA said in its submission, adding that it would be appropriate to grant greater beware of restricting games with loot chests to "legal age players". .
NSW and Victoria push for loot boxes to be ranked
A little less than a month before the Senate investigation on "microtransactions of gambling for objects based on luck" – looted boxes and other – reports, new reports to the commission of 39; survey were made public.
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This story is updated …
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