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The new “Star Wars” movie opened at cinemas across the world on Friday and “The Last Jedi” is almost guaranteed to break box office records, but the developers of a new computer game based on the film don't have much of a reason to celebrate as they’ve triggered a global debate about gambling addiction which has spoiled their launch and threatened their revenue.
Video game maker Electronic Arts calls its new “Star Wars” game, Battlefront II, the most expansive yet.
But expensive might be a better description, due to the global controversy unleashed by the company over loot boxes. These boxes offer game add-ons for up to a 100 US dollars – that’s on top of around 60 US dollars to buy the game full price.
The loot box can give you a new character or more powerful weapons. These upgrades expand the game universe and give you an extra edge – especially when playing online against other gamers.
A gamer playing "Star Wars Battlefront II" during "Paris Games Week" on October 31, 2017 in Paris, France.
But you won’t know what you’re getting until you’ve paid.
It's this random element which has opened up a new battlefront against critics who think loot boxes are a form of gambling that puts children at risk.
Keith Whyte, Executive Director of the US National Council on Problem Gambling says: “They’re essentially mini-slot machines. You have to play to advance within the game and so it is creating a need.
“Kids can develop a chasing behavior. They can develop a tolerance where the prizes… they win a loot box, they need to win more and more valuable prizes to achieve that same excitement. And then, eventually, it becomes harm, financially, obviously, but also emotionally.”
Even so, sales of extra content – that’s what EA calls additional downloads – have exploded in recent years: in 2012 those sales were 433 million US dollars. Last year they were 1.3 billion US dollars – a 199 percent increase.
Attendees take a selfie photograph with a Titan from the video game "Titanfall" outside of the Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) Play event ahead of the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, California, US, on June 10, 2017.
EA abandoned in-game purchases for Battlefront II following the gambling outcry.
But it’s started a global debate about how microtransactions should be regulated.
China already forces online game makers to display contents of loot boxes and the odds of drawing the items in them.
Belgium and the Netherlands are considering whether microtransactions should be classified as gambling.
Chris Lee, State Representative for Hawaii, is going a step further. He recently declared: “We’re looking at legislation this year which could prohibit access, prohibit the sale of these games to people who are under age, to protect their families, as well as prohibiting different kinds of mechanisms with these games.”
That may be difficult as the US Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) doesn’t consider loot boxes to be gambling.
For now the commercial force remains with the game's manufacturers.
(CGTN)
