Alberto Garzón, Minister of Consumer Affairs of Spain, explained the reasons behind this will, aimed especially at minors.
Loot boxes or loot boxes in video games continue to be in the crosshairs of the executive branch of our country. Alberto Garzón, Minister of Consumption of Spain in the current legislature, has again committed in a meeting with Xataka to regularize the boxes of random content in video games to protect underage players and inform parents and guardians about the dangers that It can lead to the consumption of these contents without control.
“It is a model that encourages compulsive consumption”
When asked specifically in this regard, with examples like Belgium as the main showcase when taking the step, Garzón has been forceful: “We are going to regulate it.” The criterion of the also federal Coordinator of the United Left and an economist, is to appease a problem that, according to him, they have identified for a long time.
“We have identified, firstly due to demands from certain sectors that know it first hand, and secondly because some of us are gamblers, that what is there in many cases is a model that encourages compulsive consumption that can lead to important pathologies with the weather”. The Belgian example has not gone unnoticed in the interview, which is taken as a mirror in which to look at a possible legislative regulation.
The objective is clear, after conversations with AEVI (Spanish Association of Videogames): “to protect the minor”. Thus, they contemplate that parents be informed, “because many of these reward boxes are given in video games that may even have a PEGI legal accreditation below 18 years,” he adds.
The steps to follow from now on, which according to Garzón has standardized the inclusion of this type of random content under payment of real money, such as old-fashioned trading cards or slot machines, is to learn about the experience of the Belgian government to learn how they have acted and thus ensure a regulated balance in the appearance of these loot boxes in video games. Since last April, the regulatory body for Europe and the Middle East, PEGI, already includes an indicative with video games that carry loot boxes.
Garzón concludes by assuming that not everything is worth at any price. Despite the objective of growth of the sector in our country, both in terms of consumption and production, “We want video games to be profitable, but always preserving public health.” Monitoring, committee of experts and control under common rules for all are some of the terms on which the Government of Spain will use to proceed in this matter, that of chance through paid content in video games.
