Should Gaming Be Regulated? Parliament Wants Your Thoughts

[SPS]

It's worth noting Britains game/developer industry has largely collapsed compared to other nations because consecutive governments have not been involved with the industry. Independent art & sports industries can benefit greatly from and often depend on greater government engagement/investment to stay alive & not collapse into a couple of big names. I wouldn't trust this government to do much good but the concept but it's worth noting this is mostly the work of civil servants and a couple of backbench MPs, and would likely continue under any power change in a similar way.

It's not collapsed, UK games industry has contributed more to the economy than film or music last year. However, the government needs to realise this and provide support/tax breaks to make it continue to do well, which is what the BGI is trying to do.

 

[grec]

That's more a sign of how big the game industry is in general, and particularly how large the market for it is in Britain, it doesn't change the fact we've had two decades of good & innovative studios closing or being bought out & skinned due to the much riskier financial situation smaller studios have in the UK compared to other countries that grant tax breaks & such to help foster creative output, as we do with many other forms of art.

 

[Mr. Smith]

If a game has MTX it should be heavily regulated. Loot box games should be regulated like normal gambling (maybe they are, I'm a bit out of the loop).

MTX are shady AF because they are also designed to be outside of gambling laws in the sense that you can't define them as gambling. MTX the outcome is assured; you pay X, you get Y. Gambling = I might get Y if I pay X (e.g. loot box).

MTX are also built around exploiting people with low impulse control. People who play games typically have low impulse control (there are plenty of studies).

If you have a gambling problem you can self-ban from casinos or wherever. MTX isn't gambling so you can't.
You should exercise control and quit, but you can't because you have low impulse control.
Even worse are the mobile games as you can lose money from the comfort of your bed, or at work or anywhere, anytime.

You should be able to self-ban any MTX/loot box purchases in any game, any platform for whatever it is for casinos (6 months to 5 years).

That leaves you to play the game, or not, without losing money until your self ban wears off.


It would hopefully reduce this type of purchase mechanic in games too. So I'd absolutely support that type of government regulation.

 

[NeverBackDown]

That's more a sign of how big the game industry is in general, and particularly how large the market for it is in Britain, it doesn't change the fact we've had two decades of good & innovative studios closing or being bought out & skinned due to the much riskier financial situation smaller studios have in the UK compared to other countries that grant tax breaks & such to help foster creative output, as we do with many other forms of art.

All countries have issues with the gaming industry. Not just UK exclusively.

 

[grec]

All countries have issues with the gaming industry. Not just UK exclusively.

Yep but the UK, compared to our neighbours in say Canada, America & France, had a particularly endemic problem of studio closures until some tax relief started to be introduced in 2014. The UK governments involvement in the game industry up until that point was notably absent compared to many other nations including those already mentioned.