Belgium says loot boxes are gambling, wants them banned in Europe

[Zkuq]

Ka-pi96 said:

Zkuq said:

AO-rated games aren't really relevant in this discussion because a similar age rating doesn't exist in Europe and it doesn't seem like lootboxes are going to be considered gambling in the US. M-rated games are the group you want.

eh, the point still holds. People can say "but kids get older rated games anyway" all they want, there are still countless examples of publishers specifically going for lower age ratings to maximise their audience. Imagine something like FIFA, a hugely popular game and probably the most likely game to be found under an xmas tree for kids, going up to an 18+ rating from its current 3+ rating. That's surely going to impact sales.

Maaaybe it holds. I lack the data to make an informed assessment of the situation. On one hand, your audience is bigger which means more purchases and thus income, but on the other hand, you lose lootbox income. Which method is more profitable might also vary by game.