In mid-November, video game publisher Electronic Arts released “Star Wars Battlefront II,” a multiplayer shooter for consoles and PCs. The title is likely to be a top item on many holiday shoppers’ lists; the original “Battlefront” sold an estimated 12 million copies. But “Battlefront II,” rated for ages 13 and up, has ignited a firestorm of controversy for the particularly cynical way it pushes players to buy “loot boxes,” random collections of in-game abilities that remain a mystery until purchased. Experts say loot boxes prey on addictive impulses that can be particularly difficult for children and other young people to control. Lawmakers, meanwhile, are considering regulating loot boxes as a form of gambling. “There’s an entire new industry larger than even the film industry which is able to put its products right in the pockets of the average person, including kids,” said Hawaii State Rep. Chris Lee, a Democrat and self-described longtime gamer who has nevertheless described “Battlefront II” as an “online casino designed to lure kids into spending money.” Lee told The Intercept he is in discussions with lawmakers in other states, including California and Minnesota, about how to respond to loot boxes broadly. Belgium’s gaming commission is reportedly considering regulation of the virtual packages after the country’s Justice Minister said they were dangerous to children’s mental health. There’s precedent for such regulation: Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency declared a particularly pernicious form of loot box called kompu gacha illegal in 2012.

“The games mimic slot machines … right in the pockets of kids.” — Chris Lee, Hawaii state legislator

“The fact that some of the games on there mimic slot machine mechanics is incredibly worrisome for a lot of the folks we’re talking to,” Lee said, “once they realize just how accessible and absolutely unregulated some of these potentially dangerous mechanics are.” In “Battlefront II,” a loot box costs between 83 cents and $1.80, and it’s not uncommon for a player to buy dozens and dozens of boxes in an attempt to unlock a particular character or capability. One popular YouTuber, for example, bought 85 boxes for around $90 and amassed, along with various in-game upgrades, 18,700 credits — just under half as many needed to unlock marquee character Darth Vader. Remember that the game itself retails at a suggested price of $59.99. Thus far, “Battlefront II” only sold loot boxes in trial versions of the game. Customer outrage over those testing editions was so intense that when EA tried to answer questions on Reddit, the company’s response became the most down-voted post to ever appear on the site. After that incident, on the eve of the game’s launch, EA removed loot boxes and indeed all digital sales from “Battlefront 2,” a move that helped send EA’s stock price tumbling. The company has said in-game purchases will eventually come back, once it has recalibrated pricing. EA also maintains that you can earn everything in the game without paying; one player had estimated it would originally take 40 hours to unlock Vader without the help of loot boxes, but after the consumer backlash EA now says the bar has been lowered. “Battlefront II” didn’t invent the loot box so much as take the concept to maddening extremes. It was popularized by the 2012 game “Mass Effect 3″ and has been spreading ever since. Publishers like the additional revenue stream, while players are drawn to the possibility of saving time or money when they get lucky and purchase the right box. The rapid proliferation of the mystery bundles has come amid the expansion of gaming on mobile devices, where many apps are given away and rely on small transactions within the product as the predominant form of revenue. Here’s an example of a loot box, from the popular console first-person shooter game “Overwatch.” In the game, you can purchase loot boxes that will give you some random combination of cosmetic items. In the video below, the player purchases $20 worth of loot boxes, then awaits the prizes contained within. The important thing to note is that the player has no idea what’s in the boxes before purchasing them and only finds out after paying:

If loot boxes remind you of a slot machine or lottery ticket, you’re not alone. Just like traditional gamblers, players who acquire loot boxes pay money for an uncertain outcome. Unlike traditional gamblers, there is no strict government regulation to protect them. David G. Schwartz is the director of the University of Nevada Las Vegas’s Center for Gaming Research and the author of numerous books on the history of gambling. He offered his thoughts as an individual researcher and stressed that he did not speak for his organization. “For something to be considered gambling, the classic definition [is] risking something of value on an unknown outcome in hope of getting a payoff,” he said. “With a loot box, it’s pretty much that.” Les Bernal, national director of Stop Predatory Gambling, which researches the gambling industry and advocates for regulations to prevent gambling addiction, agreed. “These game publishers are blatantly exploiting minors, viewing them as an easy way to boost profits,” he said. Bernal worries that the big video game publishers are targeting a population that is highly vulnerable to gambling addiction. “In the commercial gambling business in general, the way you make your money is on a small amount of players — those players who are financially desperate, and those players who are addicted,” he said. “Young people are more susceptible to gambling problems. They’re at a point in their development where being exposed to commercial gambling has a devastating impact.” Emil Hodzic is a psychologist who runs the Sydney-based Video Game Addiction Clinic, which each year takes roughly 1,000 clients facing psychological and physical impairments — largely adolescents, but also adults.

“Young people are more susceptible … being exposed to commercial gambling has a devastating impact.” — Les Bernal, Stop Predatory Gambling