The Government monitors the impact of microtransactions in video games on players, including children and young people. In 2020, we launched a call for evidence on loot boxes in video games which found an association between purchasing loot boxes and problem gambling, although no causal link has been found.<\/p>
We have since welcomed <\/a>new industry-led guidance<\/a> to improve protections for players and meet the following Government objectives that:<\/p> purchases of loot boxes should be unavailable to all children and young people unless and until they are enabled by a parent or guardian; and<\/p><\/li> all players should have access to and be aware of spending controls and transparent information to support safe and responsible gaming.<\/p><\/li><\/ul> We are working with industry and academics to monitor the implementation and effectiveness of the new guidance and will provide an update following the 12-month implementation period, and independent academic scrutiny. We continue to keep our position on possible future legislative options under review. We monitor developments in other international jurisdictions, including Belgium, although no recent discussions with Belgian counterparts have taken place.<\/p> Whilst the new guidance relates to paid loot boxes specifically, a number of the measures are relevant to in-game microtransactions more broadly, particularly for children and young people. This includes driving awareness of and uptake of parental controls, and running a three-year £1 million public information campaign to provide information to players and parents about safe and responsible play<\/p>