Jun 09, 2020 15:00:00

Britain is setting regulations as 'root box (gacha) is gambling'

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Root box (gacha)'' that can randomly obtain in-game items by using in-game currency purchased for money is considered to be a harmful gambling for children in some areas, and it is actually illegal in Belgium It has been. In addition, there is a growing movement in the UK to regulate root boxes as gambling, The Guardian reports.

UK could class loot boxes as gambling to protect children | Games | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2020/jun/07/uk-could-class-loot-boxes-as-gambling-to-protect-children

While there is an opinion that the root box known as 'Gacha' in Japan is ' similar to capsule toys, ethical and fun ', ' Children who do not have a financial sense ' In some areas, there are legal restrictions on ' exploit money from .'

In the UK, in January 2020, Claire Murdock, director of the mental health department of the National Health Service , announced that ``the root box should be regulated because it may cause children to become addicted to gambling''. With that as a starting point, discussions regarding the root box as a problem are becoming more active.

``Young people are addicted to gambling by the root box (gacha),'' a British national health service executive warns-GIGAZINE

In addition, The Guardian said on June 7, 'The Ministry of Digital, Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) will soon give a case report on a root box that is popular in games like the FIFA series of football games. It is a policy to collect.'

According to The Guardian, root boxes are not regulated under current British law because the items obtained in the root boxes are not considered monetary in value and do not fit into the definition of gambling. However, DCMS issued a report in 2019 that 'items obtained from root boxes etc. can be easily exchanged for cash on third-party websites'. DCMS also stated in this report that 'these mechanisms should be regarded as gambling products.'

In response to this report, Representative Carolyn Harris, representative of a bipartisan group investigating gambling-related damages, said, ``Games are a speculative product in nature and a bet on the youth. It is what makes it happen.'

Anne Longfield, a British child commissioner , also expressed concern about 'the risk of youths continuing to pay to get what they want.'

Despite this discussion, rootboxes have been incorporated into many games and are widespread. According to a study by British market research firm Juniper Research, the total amount charged for game root boxes and randomly obtained skins (character costumes) will increase to 50 billion dollars by 2022 (about 5 trillion 4034 billion yen) Then it is estimated .

Also, according to a survey by the University of York in the United Kingdom, among the popular games on the game sales platform Steam , the ratio of games with root box elements was only 4.27% in 2010, but in 2019 Has reached 71.28%.

Regarding the series of discussions surrounding the root box, The Guardian said, 'If the government redefines the root box as gambling, it will have a great impact on the gaming industry.' 'Regulation of the root box was enacted in 2005. It could lead to a major overhaul of the gambling laws that have been put in place, which would result in the government being labeled as 'not suitable for the digital age.'