In the UK, we have this thing called the NHS, National Health Service, it is as one might assume a health service. It was formed following World War II to deal with health issues both from the war and following it. If it wasn’t for that service, I wouldn’t be sitting typing this out eating custard creams. When I was only 5-days old I had to have an operation with only a single-digit chance of survival. A few years following that, a family friend lost his daughter to that same surgery. In short, I trust the NHS with my life. Since the 5th day of life, I’ve had several more open-heart surgeries to do similar wonders of medical science.

Now that we know why I trust the NHS, let’s talk about how I don’t trust EA (and others). EA are prominent offenders of the “loot box” craze. When they announced Anthem they explicitly stated that it wouldn’t have them, EA and Bioware were applauded. I bet that E3 audience are kicking themselves now, if not I’ll go round and do it in their sleep. Of course, the reason EA gets the flak for loot boxes is their never-ending profits from sports games. These are often seen as the second most casual games behind games for mobile phones. You guessed it, EA and Bethesda have you covered there too, Madden and FIFA make as much money as the NFL and FIFA (the second deadly corrupt one).

This has led to NHS Mental Health Director, Claire Murdoch, stating in a press release: “Frankly no company should be setting kids up for addiction by teaching them to gamble on the content of these loot boxes. No firm should sell to children loot box games with this element of chance, so yes those sales should end.” Going on to say, “Young people’s health is at stake, and although the NHS is stepping up with these new, innovative services available to families through our Long Term Plan, we cannot do this alone, so other parts of society must do what they can to limit risks and safeguard children’s wellbeing“

The “Long Term Plan” that Ms. Murdoch references is not directed at gaming alone, it is instead aimed at improving the UK’s shallow mental health services within 10 years. One of the additions this plan has, is adding 14 treatment clinics for gambling in Britain (England and Wales). These 14 clinics are aimed at helping the reported 55,000 children in the UK that are claimed by the UK Gambling Commission to have a problem; a further 450,000 are claimed to gamble regularly.

Around the time those clinics were announced Murdoch said, “This has the potential to be a major turning point and it is all about making sure the NHS does everything it can to help people of all ages, who are seriously addicted to gambling.” EA was pulling some meteoric levels of fecal matter out themselves, stating that loot boxes were just “surprise mechanics.” Surprise being used in the same way as, “she was asking for it, she was wearing that!” when it comes to a reader of The Sun hearing of sexual offenses. To many, this is showing just how despicable these mechanics are for all.

EA didn’t stop pulling several levels of one’s urinary tract as Kerry Hopkins, EA’s vice president of legal and government affairs, said loot boxes are “actually quite ethical and quite fun, quite enjoyable to people.” I can’t call a lawyer a lizard person, mostly because the UK has defamation laws, but what human brain thinks mental health issues caused by gaming are fun? The numbers are clear that 50,000 between two countries are described as “addicted” by the age of 18. The only thing you should be addicted to by 18 is chocolate and the end of Mean Girls.

However, it seems the NHS and the UK’s gambling commission are at odds of these “surprise mechanics,” loot boxes, or as I like to call them “electric mugging.” In 2017 the Gambling Commission’s executive director, Tim Miller, said that loot boxes aren’t gambling. Though Murdoch is joined by the Children’s Commissioner for England, which late in 2019 called for loot boxes to be either heavily restricted or banned. The Children’s Commissioner was not only coldly citing data and stats of children gambling but rather quoting 10-year-olds. “If you’re a default skin, people think you’re trash” stated by Nina, 10, a Fortnite player.

Of course, it isn’t just EA’s FIFA that does this; Overwatch, Apex Legends, Hearthstone, Fortnite, Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2017), and Star Trek Online all do the same. Every type of game is shoehorning them in, Injustice 2 even has the damn things. If not loot boxes, it is microtransactions that EA has pushed into the gaming sphere making games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey harder to get through. This has just been the natural progression for them, pulling the rug away from the consumer and giving power to the publishers. If we didn’t have rules against swearing I’d have strong words for EA and others right now.

https://youtu.be/VTwRcVkoDFU

Recently, it was announced that former FA player Rio Ferdinand partnered with UK Interactive Entertainment Association (UKIE). This partnership is aimed at getting parents to be an active part of a child’s gaming habits, asking about the games, and generally not just letting them run buck wild with addictive habits. It is understandable in premise, though inaction does little to curb an issue.

UKIE’s “Get Smart About Play” campaign is about limiting time spent on the console and at most limiting spending, but ignores the publisher’s part in that action. As a special interest group for publishers, they aren’t held to aid consumers as much as they are the industry itself. In response to Murdoch’s claims, UKIE said: “It shows that it is already possible to manage, limit or turn off spend in games with the help of family controls, providing practical guidance on how to do so at www.askaboutgames.com.” This is just showing the reluctance to give up even the smallest part of the profits for the betterment of the consumer.

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