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The chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, Joseph Simmons, announced Tuesday that he would investigate video game boxes to protect children and educate parents about it.
Simmons testified on Tuesday before the Senate Subcommittee on Trade, Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance and Data Security on the work of the commission. After his testimony, a number of senators asked Simmons questions on a variety of topics.
Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), who spoke about the problem of video game boxes earlier this year, asked the FTC to launch the investigation and Simmons confirmed it.
This request comes about nine months after Hassan sent a letter to the Entertainment Software Ratings Board asking the group to review the scoring process for loot boxes, to consider marketing loot boxes from children and define best practices for developers. the toxic form of microtransactions. The senator also asked the council to conduct a study that would further deepen the scope and impact of loot boxes in games. At that time, she said that if they did not do enough, she would ask the FTC to get involved.
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During Tuesday's exchange, Hassan said that she thought the problem of the surprise boxes, sold for real money in some games and containing mystery objects in the game, continues. to aggravate it.
"Earlier this year, at the confirmation hearing for most of you, I discussed the possibility that the FTC would consider the issue of children in the play area. video, "she said. "More specifically, we discussed the surprise boxes, which allow end-of-game purchases with real money for surprise winnings, and most of you have agreed that this field could be subject to additional monitoring by the FTC.
"The surprise boxes are now endemic in the video game industry and are present in all types of games, from casual smartphone games to the latest high-budget video games. The surprise boxes will represent a $ 50 billion industry by 2022, according to the latest research estimates. Children may be particularly likely to participate in these in-game purchases, which are often considered as integral components of video games. This month, the British Gaming Commission released a report that 30% of children used video game boxes. The report also revealed that this exposure could be linked to an increase in the number of problematic young players in the UK. Belgium, the Netherlands and Japan have decided to regulate the use of surprise boxes in video games, because of this close connection with the game.
"Given the gravity of the situation, I think the time has come for the FTC to study these mechanisms to ensure the adequate protection of children and to educate parents about the potential for addiction or the other negative impacts of these games. Would you commit to this project and keep this committee informed? "
Simmons answered with a simple "Yes".
Earlier this year, the ESRB announced that it will continue to make improvements so that parents continue to be well informed as the sector evolves. The group did not directly address what he could do in terms of loot boxes, microtransactions and notations.
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