15 US child advocacy groups have asked the FTC to investigate EA over loot boxes
An alliance of 15 child advocacy groups in the US have asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate Electronic Arts over its use of loot boxes, especially in FIFA.
The coalition, led by Fairplay and the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD), cited this week’s report by the Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC) as grounds for investigation over whether EA’s sale of loot boxes “unfairly exploits children and teens for profit”.
As reported by Axios, the coalition has written an open letter to the FTC which details the issues raised in the NCC’s previous report, pointing out specific issues which it feels are harmful to children.
“Fairplay and CDD have highlighted problems with virtual currencies, loot boxes, and other manipulative design techniques in past comments submitted to the Commission on dark patterns,” the letter says.
“Dark patterns exploit kids’ and teens’ developmental vulnerabilities, including their fear of missing out, esteem needs, and sense of social pressure.
“They also place young people on an endless treadmill of game play, all while obscuring game play costs with virtual currency. We urge the Commission to investigate the use of dark patterns in FUT.
The group also express their concern that loot boxes, including those in FIFA, “introduce kids and teens to gambling”.
“The packs resemble slot machines,” the letter reads. “They require a game player to stake something of value (in-game currency) on the possibility of receiving an unknown, random reward in the future, and are accompanied by bright colours and animations.
“Research shows that there are connections between spending money on loot boxes and problem gambling in adolescents. In some cases, young people who have already developed problem gambling
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