The European Parliament has today, on January 18, passed a resolution on video games and gaming. Consumers are to be better protected, especially young people. A focus of the new video game policy is on in-game purchases and loot boxes. Representatives of the gaming industry express their “concern”: The focus on stricter measures for in-game purchases is not welcomed.
What exactly has the Parliament done? The European Parliament today expressed support for a report focused on video games and the users of these games. The report was presented by Member of the European Parliament Adriana Malonado López, a Spanish social democrat, and received 577 votes in favor, 56 against, and 16 abstentions.
The report includes over a dozen proposals on how the EU should handle video games in the future.
Strengthening consumer protection, questioning in-game purchases
These are the key issues that the EU should now address: Among other things, it is about making video games more transparent. The age recommendation PEGI is mentioned as a “good system”; it could become even more transparent and provide more information to consumers about content, target audience, and potential in-game purchases.
The EU Commission is also to investigate what influence loot boxes and other ways to purchase in-game items have on consumers – and if deemed necessary, also take action.
In Belgium and the Netherlands, some games with loot boxes, such as Diablo Immortal, have already not been released.
The Commission should also investigate whether gold farming is in any way related to financial crimes and human rights abuses.
Moreover, game developers are urged to avoid “developing addictive games”.
Other issues that the EU considers important include:
- They want to improve data protection
- Bring more women into game development to improve the gender imbalance
- Make it easier for consumers to cancel a subscription once closed
EU wants to promote gaming – announcing annual award
Are there only problems in gaming? No, the EU explicitly praises gaming and states that it wants to develop a “European video game strategy” to realize the full potential of the industry.
Therefore, it now wants to announce an annual video game award.
It is said that the report would highlight the positive aspects of the industry but also raise awareness of the social risks, such as the impact of gaming on mental health. This could affect especially young players. Therefore, it wants to establish uniform rules for the EU and strengthen consumer protection, with a special focus on minors.
With gamescom, Europe at least has a major gaming fair:
Representatives of the gaming industry express “concern”
How does the industry react? Representatives from two associations representing the gaming industry have already expressed themselves in a joint statement. They are “concerned” that the focus is on stricter rules for in-game purchases.
Consumer protection in Europe is already sufficient to sanction unfair measures. The problem is not the rules but rather a lack of enforcement of these rules.
In a statement, it says: European players have more choices among excellent games than ever before, thanks to the increased diversity of business models that the gaming industry has developed. Legislators should protect the right to access cultural products while maintaining the high standard of European consumer protection.
Here in Germany, we had a discussion about loot boxes just a few months ago. However, those targeted by the criticism did not feel addressed at all. They demanded strict rules from legislators; perhaps they will indeed come soon:
