U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire has issued a letter to the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) outlining her concerns with microtransactions, specifically with regards to loot boxes in video games.

Sen. Hassan expressed her concerns during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing in which she also questioned nominees to be Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioners if they would be willing to take a closer look at video game addiction and loot boxes, which Hassan believes may contribute to addiction.Sen. Hassan specifically refers to games allowing "in-game purchases for surprise winnings" which are targeted to, and used by, children who may be "particularly susceptible to being addicted to them." Sen. Hassan also mentioned the recent World Health Organization update which added "gaming disorder" as a diagnosable disorder as a reason for concern.The video can be viewed below:Sen. Hassan's asked the nominees if the FTC would be willing to look into loot boxes independently, depending on the ESRB's response to her letter. All three nominees questioned stated that, if they are confirmed, they would be willing to cooperate in an investigation.Recently. lawmakers in Hawaii have proposed a series of bills which target the sale of loot boxes in video games. This follows Hawaii's State Representative, Chris Lee's statements encouraging lawmakers to take a closer look at what he considers to be predatory sales practices akin to illegal gambling.Hawaii is not the only state in the United States considering legislation. A Washington State Senator is also pushing for a new bill . Loot boxes have become a topic around the world, particularly since the controversy around Star Wars Battlefront 2's currently removed microtransactions . Though countries like the UK and New Zealand declared that loot boxes are not gambling, Belgium sees the issue differently and is seeking to ban loot boxes in Europe

Brian Barnett is an IGN freelance writer. You can follow and chat with him (he's super friendly) on Twitter at @Ribnax