In the first installment of Weekly Gaming News, Split Tooth Media’s video game editor, Mat Brock, discusses the gaming news, updates and releases that you need to know. 

Loot boxes declared illegal gambling in Belgium and the Netherlands after review

Whether you love or hate them, loot boxes have always stood on shaky ground in regards to their legality. As far back as the early days of Magic: The Gathering, the concept of paying to increase one’s power by opening “packs” has been vaguely reminiscent of gambling.

After Electronic Arts made the mistake of trying to sell the idea of loot boxes as a way to inspire a sense of “pride and accomplishment” in its players by giving power-ups and unlocking characters in Star Wars: Battlefront 2, the resulting avalanche of outraged and fed up gamers brought the debate to the forefront of the media and apparently into the political arena.

The past two weeks saw both the Netherlands and Belgium officially declare certain types of loot box mechanics to be in violation of their betting and gaming laws.

“Four out of ten loot boxes, treasure boxes in games, are prohibited according to the Betting and Gaming Act,” the translated newsletter on the Dutch Gaming Authority’s website reads. “There are also indications that loot boxes may trigger addiction. The Gaming Authority has reached this conclusion on the basis of its Investigation into loot boxes.”

Following suit, the Belgium Ministry of Justice announced that Overwatch, Star Wars Battlefront 2, FIFA 18 and Counter-Strike Global Offensive had all been under investigation with all but Battlefront II — which had removed its loot box system — being found guilty of violating Dutch gambling laws.

Pulled from an announcement on the Minister of Justice’s website: “Paying loot boxes are not an innocent part of video games that occur as a game of skill,” says director Peter Naessens. “Players are tempted and misled and none of the protective measures concerning gambling is applied.”

The announcement goes on to state that the Minister of Justice will meet with relevant members of the gaming sector to discuss changes being made to the games, with failure to do so resulting in the potential punishment of “up to 800,000 euros and five years in prison.” Double if they can prove minors were somehow harmed in the process.

With a little help from Google Translate, you can read through the casual indictments yourself. We’ll have to wait and see what action, if any, the affected gaming companies will take. It’s not outside the realm of possibility for the offending games to cease being offered in said countries, if the cost of updating them to comply with gambling laws outweighs the potential profits.

Hearthstone’s latest expansion includes new “Monster Hunt” gamemode

When the “Kobolds and Catacombs” expansion came out, Blizzard introduced a new spin on the “Adventure Mode” for its popular online CCG, Hearthstone. A fun diversion to the main player-versus-player-focused gameplay, it was a big hit with the game’s community.

About two weeks after releasing its latest Gilnean-themed expansion, “The Witchwood,” Blizzard unveiled “Monster Hunts,” another new spin on the game’s “Adventure Mode.” Players take control of one of four unique heroes instead of one of the game’s nine default classes. Much like “Kobolds and Catacombs,” they’ll then explore The Witchwood as they hunt monsters and collect equipment.

Beating this new game mode will unlock a new cardback for use in regular play. Learn more on the expansion’s official website.

Feature image courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.

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