Following the heated debate on loot boxes and microtransactions present in video games aimed at young audiences, some politicians have decided to intervene and implement new rules on the management of g******g, also including these notorious prize boxes.
The state that most of all has trodden the situation is certainly the Belgium: thanks to the new laws active for a few months, loot boxes are now considered to all intents and purposes g******g and, as such, illegal in products intended for a minor public. If the developers or the managers of a video game cannot remove these mechanics from their products, Belgium does not allow the diffusion of this title, effectively banning it from the whole territory.
The latest “victim” of this legislation is Genshin Impact, free to play Chinese that is conquering the whole world. As a free-to-play title, loot boxes and microtransactions are the only source of sustenance for this acclaimed RPG game, but the law does not allow for exceptions, and since the “luck” mechanics cannot be removed, Genshin Impact was officially banned from Belgium … but also not.
The title in Belgium is not downloadable on PlayStation 4 but, inexplicably, it is still present in the local stores of Android is PC, without any restrictions. Indeed, marketing campaigns and advertising continue to persist.
In other words, only PS4 players have had to say goodbye to Genshin Impact, but everyone else can continue to play (and spend) without a problem. To be honest, this is not so true either, as it is enough to create a PSN account in another region and this “block” would also be solved.
We do not know if this forgetfulness is a delay in the execution of the law, an error, or there is a legal loop involved that keeps the mobile and PC versions in stall, but it all seems decidedly … paradoxical.
Belgium has successfully eliminated microtransactions and loot boxes from games such as FIFA, big money factories for EA, but it seems that the law and its applications are still very immature.
What do you think?
Source: Resetera
