I don't think that the majority of people understand the true extent of loot boxes and how much money children are spending on them. I remember a story about a kid who spent tens of thousands of dollars on FIFA loot boxes and only when credit card statement came in parents started to care... I bet that the story is a bit different with parents who are gamers themselves (or at least one of them is)
Australia has long had a rep for clamping down on games. I recall the country being among the non-autocratic countries that actively censored video games (Germany being one of the others). So, this law isn't a surprise. And maybe it's a good thing. But will it work?
Okay, this type of piece checks all my boxes as an attorney, gamer, and fan of Australian actors. It seems like aggressive actions to even mitigate exposure to loot boxes/gambling which is commendable especially given the stats cited on gambling at large. Countless stories of parents using iPads as babysitters in the US with children racking up hundreds or thousands of dollars in IAP, and the legislative progress in the States lacks teeth IMO. I also thank you for trying to dissuade parents from buying GTA for their ten year olds!
It was an ongoing battle! Like just buy Mario! It’s such a good game. But yeah, peer pressure and threats that they’d “be a loser” for not playing it made it hard.
Conscript sounds like fun, but I'm not sure I have spare diapers...
It’s cool! And scary at first. Survival horror really polarises! I love them
Thunder from Down Under!
Haha, it’s only so often we do something somewhat globally significant.
I don't think that the majority of people understand the true extent of loot boxes and how much money children are spending on them. I remember a story about a kid who spent tens of thousands of dollars on FIFA loot boxes and only when credit card statement came in parents started to care... I bet that the story is a bit different with parents who are gamers themselves (or at least one of them is)
The older I get, the more I realise my gaming knowledge is an asset. Especially among my friends — who are now starting to have kids.
I’ll see what I can do to try and track down some local loot box stats. The govt would have researched this for the policy.
Australia has long had a rep for clamping down on games. I recall the country being among the non-autocratic countries that actively censored video games (Germany being one of the others). So, this law isn't a surprise. And maybe it's a good thing. But will it work?
Okay, this type of piece checks all my boxes as an attorney, gamer, and fan of Australian actors. It seems like aggressive actions to even mitigate exposure to loot boxes/gambling which is commendable especially given the stats cited on gambling at large. Countless stories of parents using iPads as babysitters in the US with children racking up hundreds or thousands of dollars in IAP, and the legislative progress in the States lacks teeth IMO. I also thank you for trying to dissuade parents from buying GTA for their ten year olds!
It was an ongoing battle! Like just buy Mario! It’s such a good game. But yeah, peer pressure and threats that they’d “be a loser” for not playing it made it hard.
Great selection of questions and analysis!
Thanks Kayla! Wanted to cram my experience working in game retail somewhere into a piece. Guess this was it! Cheers for reading!