The roundtable will give updates to game developers “and allies” about the “latest assaults on their self-expression and business rights.” Furthermore, it will teach attendees how to be an “advocate for change,” presumably to prevent things like anti-loot box legislation being passed.
The GDC painting the games industry as a victim in this ordeal is not likely to sit well with those who are already anti-loot box. For those unaware of the ongoing controversy, loot boxes in games have been accused of using the same predatory psychological tricks as gambling, and various governments are already moving forward with legislation to regulate and restrict their use. The games industry has pushed back against this, and has been widely criticized in its attempts to do so.
For example, EA’s attempt to justify its heavy use of microtransactions and loot boxes in Star Wars Battlefront 2 resulted in the company obliterating the record for the most downvoted Reddit comment in history. The ESA’s statements on the matter, where it insists that loot boxes aren’t gambling, have also been criticized.
While it’s clear that some members of the games industry feel as though loot box regulation is a form of censorship, the industry is finally starting to take action. Earlier today, the ESRB (itself controlled by the ESA) announced plans to include new labels that specify whether a game has premium digital content. It’s worth pointing out that this label embodies all forms of digital purchases, and does not single out loot boxes. However, the ESRB has stressed that it’s just the “first step” in how it plans on handling the ongoing loot box issue moving forward.
Source: GDC
