Hawaii Investigating EA for “Predatory Practices”

[Ryujin2003]

It might be time to create a subforum just for EA!

 

At this point, any news is bad news.

 

State Democratic representative Chris Lee held a conference to discuss the predatory tactical CS that EA is using to get children to gamble.

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It appears the fight against loot boxes in video games is gaining serious momentum. First, Belgium officially declared loot boxes as a form of gambling. Now, the state of Hawaii is taking steps to fight the “predatory practices” of companies like EA.

 

Snip...

 

Lee believes Battlefront II is a “Star Wars-themed online casino, designed to lure kids into spending money.” Appropriately, he said “it’s a trap.”

 

Lee's big issue (and my own as well), is that these practices of gambling and purchasing lootboxes is essentially desensitizing children to the act of gambling. There more it's condoned and put in front of them, the less they will recognize the habit as gambling.

 

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... urging children and young adults to purchase in-game bonuses in order to progress is instilling bad habits regarding money spending and addicting behaviors. It should not be something advertised to children, especially using such a family-friendly and internationally loved franchise like Star Wars.

 

Here is a segment of Lee's statement:

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“We are here to ensure future protections for kids, youths and everyone when it comes to the spread of predatory practices in online gaming and the significant financial consequences it can have on families, and has had on families in this nation. This game is a Star Wars themed online casino designed to lure kids into spending money. It’s a trap. And this is something we need to address to insure that, particularly kids who are underage and who are not psychologically and emotionally mature enough to gamble – which is why gambling is prohibited under 21 – from being trapped into these cycles, which have compelled many folks to spend thousands of dollars in gaming fees online.”

Hawaii is taking the leadership role for other states, and setting an example of how states can act before federal law catches up. This I think is awesome. We've discussed how slow the federal system can be at updating laws and policies. States can take action at their own level without Federal overnight.

 

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“While we are stepping up to act in Hawaii, we have also been in discussions with our counterparts in a number of other states who are also considering how to address this issue,” said Lee in a press release. “Change is difficult at the federal level, but states can and are taking action.”

 

Lee went on to discuss how EA tactics work, many of which mirror that of online casino gambling techniques (not part of the article, but I can provide some of this if requested).

 

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Lee went on to say: “These kinds of loot boxes and microtransactions are explicitly designed to prey upon and exploit human psychology in the same way casino games are so designed. This is especially true for young adults who child psychologists and other experts explain are particularly vulnerable. These exploitive mechanisms and the deceptive marketing promoting them have no place in games being marketed to minors, and perhaps no place in games at all.”

 

This is just beginning, so nothing is solid yet, but it highlights the importance of this issue.

 

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Right now, only Hawaii is proposing keeping games with loot boxes away from children. However, Lee plans to ally with other states. If enough come onboard, we may see significant change in the way publishers handle things like loot boxes. This isn’t over yet, people.

 

The reason why EA as a whole is being investigated is because this extends past just Battlefront.

 

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It’s also not just Battlefront II that’s facing backlash against mircotransactions and lootboxes. EA’s other big release, Need For Speed Payback, was ruined by mircotransactions and grinding, which you need to level up quickly and “really” compete. It was also revealed today that Plants vs. Zombies creator George Fan was fired from EA because he didn’t want to make the second installment of the game a “freemium” game, which are games that make most of their profit on in-app purchases.

 

Gambling in video games has been ongoing since Farmville and other Facebook and mobile games. I think the scale and blatent disregard for consumer protection and rights has made EA, and BattleFront II in particular, the tipping point for lootbox and video game gambling behavior targeting children and other vulnerable individuals.

 

 

I  might just be old, but I miss the good old days of paying for a game, and already having everything the game provided (including a good campaign story).

 

Source: https://www.geek.com/games/hawaii-investigating-ea-for-predatory-practices-in-games-like-battlefront-ii-1723701/

 

Edit 1: added additional content from another source: https://screenrant.com/ea-hawaii-investigation-microtransactions-gambling/

 

[givingtnt]

good

im wondering when the canadian provinces will do the same
our gambling is ruled by province. and id like to see the Quebec gov do something about it (since, ya know. digital stuff is a big thing here.)

[Taswell]

Fuck EA.....

[Bcat00]

10 minutes ago, givingtnt said:

good

im wondering when the canadian provinces will do the same
our gambling is ruled by province. and id like to see the Quebec gov do something about it (since, ya know. digital stuff is a big thing here.)

Yaa, not gonna happen for at least another decade. You know how our system works. 

Dude #1 I vote YES!!

Dude #2 I vote NO!!

Then the others chime in and goes nowhere after a year or two... Eventually it gets tug under the rug until a kid kills their parents due to gambling and all hell breaks loose in parliament.

 

BREAKING NEWS: FOR THE KIDS!

 

[givingtnt]

5 minutes ago, Bcat00 said:

Yaa, not gonna happen for at least another decade. You know how our system works. 

Dude #1 I vote YES!!

Dude #2 I vote NO!!

Then the others chime in and goes nowhere after a year or two... Eventually it gets tug under the rug until a kid kills their parents due to gambling and all hell breaks loose in parliament.

 

BREAKING NEWS: FOR THE KIDS!

 

well, the gabling department usually is quick on this kind of behavior, mostly if other countries (say idk, the US) do it. it may be quicker than you think.

[NumLock21]

I heard Hawaiians love SPAM. 

[AlTech]

1 hour ago, Ryujin2003 said:

snip

Here's a video you might want to add to OP:

 

 

[yian88]

The snowball is growing.

Please support this backlash against EA and loot boxes and pay 2 win. I dont care game prices would increase without it, rather than having games at 60$ with no content its all in lootboxes id rather have 100$ games end of the story.

Im not going to buy them anyway but its better that way.

Id rather not get any games released anymore than having them in this extreme p2w state.

[dizmo]

So the article says they'll want to keep it away from children.

 

"How do we do that? I know, we'll throw a Mature rating on any game with loot boxes!" 

 

Exactly how I see it playing out. Then government cans at its done something, and it can transfer blame to the parents. 

 

 

[Bigbootyjudy]

I think lootboxes are fine as long as they are controlled in a way that they do not promote gambling so much. I like how blizzard does it. Once you buy the game you own everything in the game except for cosmetics. While they do make the game more fun in some ways they are not core to the game and how it works. You are also able to get lootboxes pretty easily without buying them. EA just wants you to pay for them.

[Ryujin2003]

1 hour ago, AluminiumTech said:

Here's a video you might want to add to OP:

 

 

On mobile device, so a bit harder

 I'll update it later.

20 minutes ago, dizmo said:

So the article says they'll want to keep it away from children.

 

"How do we do that? I know, we'll throw a Mature rating on any game with loot boxes!" 

 

Exactly how I see it playing out. Then government cans at its done something, and it can transfer blame to the parents. 

 

 

No, I think I'll end up being forced to be handled like gambling. Registered and freaking taxed the hell out of. So have developers will then try to get away from today model.. my hope anyways

[dizmo]

5 minutes ago, Ryujin2003 said:

 

No, I think I'll end up being forced to be handled like gambling. Registered and freaking taxed the hell out of. So have developers will then try to get away from today model.. my hope anyways

I don't mind loot boxes if they're done appropriately, I think it adds a fun element to the game. However even if they don't affect the actual game and they're just cosmetics, they still have the same inherent problem. 

 

The registration and tax are an interesting spin, I hadn't thought of that. I've always wondered what taxes a casino pays, but often all I can find is if you have to pay tax on winnings (in Canada you don't). 

 

An M rating would essentially be the same as having a casino. It'll be interesting to see how they go. EA makes massive money from these (if they're the same as what's in FIFA? Not sure if that's loot boxes or you simply buy the players you want), and won't let them go without a massive fight. 

[Matu20]

2 hours ago, Ryujin2003 said:

I  might just be old, but I miss the good old days of paying for a game, and already having everything the game provided (including a good campaign story).

I completely agree, fuck where we're heading, a future I do not dream of.

[NumLock21]

I never get the point of those people, who just stands behind the speaker.

edit: okay they talk too