Hawaii proposes landmark legislation against loot boxes State legislator claims more than half of US states are considering similar provisions

Haydn Taylor Staff Writer Tuesday 13th February 2018 Share this article Share

Hawaii has become the first US state to officially propose legislation against loot boxes in video games.

Last month Kevin Ranker, a Democratic state senator in Washington, introduced a bill aimed at defining whether or not the mechanic in games constitutes gambling.

However, the proposed Hawaiian legislation goes a step further. The collection of four bills explicitly targets loot boxes, and proposes comprehensive legislation addressing multiple areas of concern.

"These predatory mechanisms... can present the same psychological, addictive, and financial risks as gambling," reads the bill text, which also cites the recent World Health Organisation move to consider 'gaming disorder' as a disease.

The bills have been spearheaded by Democratic state representative Chris Lee who previously described Star Wars Battlefront II as a "Star Wars-themed online casino".

"I grew up playing games my whole life," said Lee in Hawaii Tribune Herald report. "I've watched firsthand the evolution of the industry from one that seeks to create new things to one that's begun to exploit people, especially children, to maximize profit."

According to Lee, who has worked alongside other states and countries in a bid to create a widespread response, more than half of US states are considering some of loot box legislation.

"If enough of the market reacts, the industry would have to respond and change its practices," he said.

The first pair of bills, House Bill 2686 and Senate Bill 3024, aim to prohibit the sale of video games containing randomised rewards, or a virtual item that can be redeemed to receive a randomised reward, to consumers under the age of 21.

The second set of bills, House Bill 2727 and Senate Bill 3025, seek to establish disclosure requirements, including probability rates, for publishers of games that feature loot box mechanics. Furthermore, any digital or physical copies of games that feature loot boxes would be labelled as follows: "Warning: contains in-game purchases and gambling-like mechanisms which may be harmful or addictive".

GamesIndustry.biz has reached out to both state representative Lee and the Entertainment Software Association for comment regarding the legislation, and is awaiting a response.