The youth protection law, which has yet to be approved by the Federal Council, focuses on betting mechanics.
Germany is about to take a step forward in its intention to surround games with loot boxes. The German Parliament (the Bundestag) has approved the reform of the youth protection law, which has been in force for 20 years. Although it must still be ratified by the Bundesrat, the Federal Council, if it materializes, they will shield by law that titles with lootbox mechanics are considered for adults, that is, +18. If all goes according to plan, these guidelines will have the green light to apply starting this spring.
The amendment to this law specifically mentions the risks of mechanics that contain gambling elements in their composition, something that would encompass loot boxes. Hence the obligation for the body that classifies games by age (PEGI in Europe) to place the +18 label on all these games. Of course, only if the reform ends up being approved.
Representation of lootboxes in Overwatch.
FIFA, singled out?
The newspaper Der Spiegel, which has been the one that originally published the news, has pointed to the FIFA saga as a possible victim of this reform. And it is that the Ultimate Team mode has been pointed out on multiple occasions, since some consider that its basic mechanics take advantage of the bets to keep the players hooked. In FIFA 21 it is possible to acquire card packs both through the game and with real money.
In the specific case of the production of EA Sports, users do not know at any time which players they will get when they open their cards. There is no single opinion on whether or not FIFA Ultimate Team incorporates betting elements. For example, Peter Moore, former president of EA Sports, has stated that in his opinion they are not: “This is my personal point of view, but the concept of surprise and delight vs that of gambling are very far from each other” , he confessed.
“You buy and get a gold pack, you open it and either they are happy or you think it was a shit pack. I don’t see it as a gamble per se, but again, it’s my personal opinion as an outsider nowadays.” This discursive line is also shared by the current directors of EA, who declared in a statement that for them they were mechanics based on surprise, not on gambling.
FIFA 21 has been rated +3 in Europe by PEGI. If the law goes ahead, we may witness a different scenario for FIFA 22. Time will tell.
