UK government won't regulate loot boxes, wants developers to police themselves

gamedeveloper.com:

The UK government believes that children and young people shouldn't be allowed to purchase loot boxes without parental approval, but won't move to regulate the controversial monetization mechanic.

Laying out its response to the call for evidence on loot boxes in video games it issued in June 2020, the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport said it has found an "association between loot boxes and harms" but can't determine whether there is a causative link.

Despite that conclusion, the government said it's important that children and young people are protected from those potential harms, but wants game developers and publishers operating in the UK take the lead and implement their own safety measures.

"In response to our findings, our view is that children and young people should not be able to purchase loot boxes without parental approval. In addition, all players should have access to spending controls and transparent information to support their gaming," said member of parliament Nadine Dorries, secretary of state for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, in a lengthy statement.

"In recent years, we have seen some games companies and platforms take important steps to strengthen protections for children and young people, and adults. We welcome this, and we welcome the commitments from the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (Ukie) trade body and its members to go further. Games developers, publishers and platforms operating in the UK must take responsibility for ensuring player safety, and work collaboratively to find tangible industry-led solutions"

Although it won't take legislative action, the government has pledged to work with industry, academic, and third-party partners to ensure loot boxes are used