Minister of Consumer Affairs Max Elger (S) thinks that part of the gaming industry’s actions are “a mess” and opens up for greater transparency at EU level.
– A lot of this is something I would gladly pursue in the EU, he says to TT.
The gaming industry is criticized by the organization Sweden’s consumers and 19 other European sister organizations for how it acts when it comes to so-called loot boxes. Slightly simplified, the “boxes” are random content that the player is asked to buy for real money. An example is the package with the chance to get new, good players in the popular “Fifa 22”.
Max Elger says that he has not analyzed in detail the report from the Norwegian Consumer Council which is the basis for the criticism.
– My spontaneous comment is that it is an abomination that small children are tempted to spend thousands of kronor on “loot boxes” or digital colorful costumes.
“Can move on”
Elger points out that the laws that exist in the real world “also bite into the digital sphere”. He goes on to say that he has no “clear picture of the history” of the criticism of “loot boxes”, which has existed for a couple of years. He also does not want to review in detail the gaming industry’s internal handling of the criticism and the measures that the industry has taken, including clearer labeling of games.
– I think that what the industry has done is benign, but that does not prevent you from moving on. Now I have read the proposals from Sweden’s consumers without having had the opportunity to analyze them in detail, but I myself feel spontaneously that much of this is something I would gladly pursue in the EU.
TT: In what way?
– Yes, the Commission is constantly reviewing European consumer legislation and this is an area where EU legislation could certainly be developed.
Elger says that he has taken note of the calls that Sweden’s consumers address to him as well as the Minister and the industry in general:
– Among other things, that prices should be stated in real currency, I think that sounds sensible and I do not mind doing so at European level.
“Stunning figure”
TT: What do you say about the calculation made by the Norwegian Consumer Council which says that in order to get a specific player in “Fifa 22” it is necessary to deposit SEK 140,000?
– It is an astonishing number, says Elger and points out that he does not want to comment on individual cases.
– But it sounds both astonishing and worrying that it is such sums it can be about.
TT: How do you view the broader criticism from Sweden’s consumers, that the gaming industry uses ugly methods and, so to speak, hides the lottery behind ordinary games?
– I think it is difficult to answer. What Sweden’s consumers highlight is that the game design itself can be misleading and that this in turn would imply that you have unethical or illegal business practices. I find that difficult to comment on. I understand the call from Sweden’s consumers that the EU should shed light on this. I think that sounds wise. After such a screening, it should be a little easier to express oneself with precision if something needs to be done and in such cases what.
Facts
Loot boxes
So-called loot boxes (loot boxes in English) is a collective name for a type of randomly generated content that players buy or are rewarded with. The purchase can be made with real money, the game’s own currency or sometimes given as a reward for achievements in the game.
The content can, for example, be football players as in “Fifa”, or so-called skins that change the appearance of the game character in, for example, “Overwatch”.
Since players do not know what is in the boxes, there are similarities with the lottery. In some cases, players have even sold coveted items in the boxes for real money.
The question of how to look at the boxes, and whether they should even be allowed, has been discussed in several countries and in Belgium they have been banned. Various measures have been developed both within and outside the industry. Some developers now report more clearly how likely it is that players will get the different types of content.
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