Recently, the EU Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection committee has called for the increase of video game player protection in this region. This is a part of its latest announcements and initiatives this year.
Source: Rochester
The EU consumer protection committee just made an official announcement earlier this year. This targets the protections towards young players as well as taking action to manage ‘manipulative practices and addiction’. This is a part of this organization’s moves to control and support the game industry which is now a global and massive industry that has huge impact around the world, specifically in Europe.
Source: Medical News Today
Reportedly, Europe is one of the largest markets for game companies and studios. Therefore, the European Union is responsible for all the management and movement to create a better environment for video game players, especially vulnerable youngsters. This industry does not only influence its culture, economy but also media and society. The more game players there are, the more powerful these studios get. Therefore, it is a must to get everything together and control all of it.
Source: Understood.org
These actions that have been mentioned include controls on loot boxes, legislation against ‘gold farming’ and protection of vulnerable groups such as minors and user data. So far, there has not been any particular actions that are endorsed yet. However, the committee does ask for a mutual discussion between its member countries. Previously, the EU also published a study on the effect of loot boxes on the consumers, especially younger consumers, both positively and negatively.
The call of the committee centers on children because there have been so many accidental incidents that parents found out and freaked out because their kids did a surprise purchase which was worth a few thousand pounds on a mobile game. However, older players are just as vulnerable as minors. In the gaming space, addiction is indeed a real threat to players’ health and condition. So many people have been recorded to be so addicted to computer and video games that the addiction was harmful to and threatening their lives. It is definitely something that they themselves, their families, the government and the studios did not want to happen.
Many game companies are now expecting these new regulations. Apparently, it would not be a speedy process because the EU is a multinational organization. Its member countries must come to an agreement to endorse any official legislation. In the future, let’s anticipate what might happen.
For more latest news and entertaining updates, check out this following website http://aubtu.biz.
Leave a Reply