Google cracks down on video game ‘loot boxes’

Google this week updated its rules on so-called loot boxes, a game feature that has been accused of encouraging gambling and addiction among children and could face regulations under a new bill on Capitol Hill.

“Loot boxes” are a popular game feature that allows players to receive rewards at random for a fee. Countries around the world have been eyeing crackdowns on loot boxes, and Belgium last year declared them illegal under the country’s gambling laws.

Google appears to be heeding the warnings, and this week added language requiring Play Store app developers to disclose the likelihood that players will receive rewards from loot boxes.

“Apps offering mechanisms to receive randomized virtual items from a purchase (i.e. ‘loot boxes’) must clearly disclose the odds of receiving those items in advance of purchase,” Google’s payments rules read as of Thursday, according to tech blog Android Police.

The Apple App Store instituted a similar policy in 2017.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), a fierce tech critic who recently introduced legislation that would prohibit games geared toward children from implementing loot boxes entirely, applauded Google’s move.

“This is a step in the right direction, but Google should force video game companies to keep slot machines out of the hands of children altogether,” Hawley said in a tweet.

Hawley introduced the bill last week alongside Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), both of whom are vocal on children’s privacy issues.