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Every gaming news channel is in uproar about the pay-to-win system of Electronic Art’s Star Wars Battlefront II, with gamers and Star Wars fans hammering them in every moment they get, while whole countries start examining the legality of the implementation of loot box systems in video games, starting with Belgium, and it appears the country’s ministry is not very comfortable with the presence of loot boxes in video games.

Belgium’s Minister of Justice Koen Greens has issued a statement that he is going to take action against any forms of microtransactions being implemented as part of video games, which are entertainment products for kids. ‘Being exposed to a gambling system so early in their lives is not conducive to their mental health’, states Greens. The country’s Gambling Committee has already passed a resolution stating that microtransactions are a form of gambling. Note that this stands out in contrast to the European Union’s statement on microtransactions “not being a part of gambling”.

The original article can be found here. (in Dutch) :

https://nieuws.vtm.be/vtm-nieuws/binnenland/geens-wil-gokken-games-verbieden

Greens expects to restrict, and eventually get rid of all predatory monetary mechanisms in video games. This is yet another setback to Electronic Arts, after LucasArts, the owner of the Star Wars franchise, have expressed anger at Electronic Arts for ‘unwarranted commercialization’ of the franchise. The question is, will it be enough to actually wash off microtransactions from fully paid $60 games?

 

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