Members of Parliament from the House of Commons have revealed that a special committee is to set to investigate the rapid growth of what they called “immersive and addictive technologies” in video games. In addition, the committee is to provide the UK Government with advice on the policy and regulatory standards that it needs to follow in order to make sure the wider public is protected from the possible negative effects of “gamification”.
A new inquiry into addictive new technologies is being launched by Members of Parliament from the Digital, Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) committee and is set to be focused on the ways such technology can affect users’ behaviour, especially when it comes to young people.
We want your views on the growth of ‘immersive and addictive technologies.’ Find out more here:https://t.co/JOC4puMCa9 via @UKParliament
— Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (@CommonsCMS) December 10, 2018
The DCMS committee is approaching the end of a long-running investigation into fake news that has surrounded the Cambridge Analytica scandal, regulation of electoral campaigns, online privacy policies and the general data protection regulation (GDPR). On the other hand, the new inquiry comes after a campaign against the implementation of deliberately addictive mechanics in video games and technology, which is especially valid when it comes to so-called “loot boxes”.
Lately, the link between gambling and gaming has been one of the most discussed topics in the UK gambling sector, so it is no wonder that it is to become one of the key points set to be investigated by the DCMS committee. The latter has called for evidence from businesses, charity organisations and the public to help it determine what actions should the Government take in order to tackle possible harm.
Anti-Gambling Campaigners Claim Loot Boxes Are Form of Gambling
A variety of games such as Overwatch, Fifa and Call of Duty have faced strong criticism for the practice of offering randomised rewards to their players to purchase with real money. Considering the fact that the main audience of such games consists of children, the offering of so-called loot boxes could make them start spending money on such randomised items to help their gameplay.
Some anti-gambling campaigners have described loot boxes as a form of gambling which is primarily aimed at children. The massive wave of criticism aimed at loot boxes was one of the main reasons why the committee is to investigate on the effects of in-game spending, especially on under-age individuals and figure out whether a stronger monitoring and regulation is necessary.
As part of the inquiry, the Parliament is to address the links between gaming and gambling and is to take into consideration ways how to tackle gaming addiction and social media. The Chairman of the committee, Damian Collins, explained that the investigation was intended to lead to outline regulations which could actually protect people from the negative effects associated with gambling and loot boxed offering in video games. As revealed by Mr. Collins, the committee will also take into consideration the ways how individuals’ online data are used by new technologies and what level of security is actually offered to protect customer data.
- Author
Daniel Williams
