Virtual Legality #3 - IGDA Calls the Industry to Act on Loot Boxes (Hoeg Law)

Key Points

• The IGDA has issued a call to action for the video game industry to self-regulate loot boxes before the government potentially intervenes, drawing parallels to how the industry proactively created the ESRB in response to past government scrutiny.
• Richard Hoeg suggests the industry could prevent potential regulation by improving transparency about loot box odds and making loot box purchases require a credit card, thus limiting access to adults.
• Hoeg expresses skepticism about the effectiveness of the IGDA's proposed commitment to not market loot boxes to children, arguing that the industry is broadly perceived as targeting children, making such assurances unlikely to sway legislative opinion.