Loot boxes are a collective name for a type of randomly generated content that players buy or reward. The purchase can be made with real money, the game's own currency or sometimes given as a reward for in-game performance.

Ardalan Shekarabi, Social Security Minister responsible for gambling issues, is not happy with the loot boxes in video and computer games. In connection with the government's submission last week of the Consumer Agency's (KO) survey of the phenomenon to the gaming market investigation, he opened for new national legislation that will limit the possibility of using that type of business model in Sweden.

More consumer friendly

KO's account found, among other things, that the loot boxes can lead to problem gambling. The Minister is especially critical as he believes that this could mean that children end up in contact with games about money, which goes against prevailing gaming legislation.

However, Per Strömbäck, spokesperson for the industry organization Dataspelsbranschen, does not believe that new laws are the way forward for the loot boxes.

- Generally, it is always better if the industry solves the problems, it often goes faster and becomes more consumer friendly. In addition, self-regulation systems are often stricter than law regulation.

The industry has already begun work on regulating the phenomenon, says Per Strömbäck. As of the turn of the year, all new games that have loot boxes will show how great the chances are of getting the different types of content, and now there is also a mark on the games that shows if it is possible to spend real money in the game, he says.

- When buying, it often requires an adult who participates in different ways when minors play, so it's about helping the adults with knowledge and information. Of course, we do not want young people to start playing for money, our games are driven by them being fun to play.

Not a lottery

The video game industry also does not share the government's view that loot boxes mean games of money. There are several important differences, according to Per Strömbäck.

- Unlike lottery boxes, real lotteries are characterized by the fact that most are raffle tickets. In addition, dissatisfied players can in many cases get back the money, it happens every day. Contact the game if you are unhappy and you will get help, you will not find any online casinos that do.