Recently, a Supreme Court judge from British Columbia ruled that electronic arts loot box mechanics are not a form of gambling. Judge Margot Fleming of the Supreme Court of the B.C. wrote that gambling carries the risk of losing or gaining something of real value, and that’s why she doesn’t regard the loot box of video games as a form of gambling activity.
For those who don’t know, the loot box is an in-game consumable item that allows players to randomly obtain digital items or skills that can be used to progress the game. Usually it appears naturally in the game, but in some cases the player can get it in exchange for real cash. The element of coincidence is compared to actual gambling activities.
In a class action lawsuit against EA, Judge Fleming pointed out that gambling should carry the risk of losing something of real value, which, according to her, is not the case with the company’s video games. 우리카지노탑 Unlike casino chips, virtual currency and virtual items in loot boxes cannot be cashed to make money, she added.
Mark Sutherland is the plaintiff in a lawsuit that previously purchased loot boxes in EA’s Madden NFL Series game. But the class action also applies to anyone who actually paid for EA title loot boxes in B.C. states. This includes more than 70 games, including the developer’s popular FIFA franchise.
Mr Fleming also ruled out a lawsuit against the company could be filed based on complaints that the loot box may have deceptive behavior or practices. The lawsuit claims that virtual boxes and their items were of intrinsic value because they could be sold on third-party platforms. However, the judge judged it false and said the cryptocurrency could only be traded on EA’s auction platform.
The judge’s conclusion was that there was no chance of gaining or losing anything of real value through the defendant’s in-house actions. EA also provided a statement on the decision, saying it was pleased that the company had dismissed the allegations of illegal gambling. The gaming giant said the ruling supports the position that none of their games make up gambling.
However, gambling and addiction experts do not believe that loot boxes are related to gambling. This month, Luke Clark, director of the University of British Columbia’s Center for Gambling Research, published a new study linking video game loot boxes to problematic gambling. He even compared the game mechanic to one of the slot games.
Not long ago, Maud Bonenfant, a professor of social and public communication at the University of Quebec in Montreal, also spoke about the issue. She argued that representative casino mechanisms and elements of coincidence are what makes video games much more addictive. Players find it difficult to end their game sessions, which tend to last longer.