Experts in the gaming industry have announced the formation of a new body known as the National Committee for Games Policy (NCGP). It plans to deal specifically with laws pertaining to video games and influence government regulation of the industry. It was formed in direct response to what the NCGP calls the “loot box gambling crisis“. The objective of the NCGP is to help government policy regarding video games develop appropriately with guidance and input from industry leaders. They say that they are not a traditional special interest group because they have “no stated position on any issue, and instead seek to collate the information provided by the public and games professionals into a unified political position.” The NCGP is independently funded and will not receive grants from the federal government or accept donations from any political party, however individual members are free to associate with whatever special interest group or political parties they wish.

The group will be split into two seperate divisions. The first is a think tank division know as the ITK. It will be made up of a group of professionals from across the entire video game community. Their goal will be “to represent the entire industry, and as such will not release opinions on differences within the industry except as they relate to public policy.” The ITK wing is crucial as many consumers are taking their complaints about loot boxes to government officials. Many gamers say that loot crates are no different than the regulated casino game industry such as slot machines.

The second arm of the NCGP will be known as the Self Regulatory Organization (SRO). It will work independently of the ITK and has a stated goal of protecting consumers from unscrupulous video game companies by investigating and bringing legal action against those companies that have damaged the public consciousness in some way. The SRO is also establishing a game industry whistleblower center to help fight things such as withheld overtime pay.

This announcement comes hot on the heels of outrage over Star Wars: Battlefront II’s loot box controversy. The NCGP will have what they call a “Consumer Center”, where the public can report video game makers. So instead of taking their frustrations to Reddit and Twitter, there will be an actual group to listen to their frustrations.