Nu tar Belgien krafttag mot loot box-spel

In video games, a loot box (sometimes loot crate or prize crate, among other names) is a consumable virtual item which can be redeemed to receive a randomized selection of further virtual items, ranging from simple customization options for a player's avatar or character, to game-changing equipment such as weapons and armor. A loot box is typically a form of monetization, with players either buying the boxes directly or receiving the boxes during play and later buying "keys" with which to redeem them. These systems may also be known as gacha (based on gashapon - capsule toys) and integrated into gacha games. Loot box concepts originated from loot systems in massively multiplayer online role-playing games, and from the monetization of free-to-play mobile gaming. They first appeared in 2004 through 2007, and have appeared in many free-to-play games and in some full-priced titles since then. They are seen by developers and publishers of video games not only to help generate ongoing revenue for games while avoiding drawbacks of paid downloadable content or game subscriptions, but to also keep player interest within games by offering new content and cosmetics through loot box reward systems. Loot box systems were made highly visible through the popularity of Overwatch (2016), but several games that followed in 2017 expanded approaches to loot boxes that caused loot box systems to be highly criticised by the second half of 2017, in particular Star Wars Battlefront II. Such criticism includes fear of gambling addiction particularly for younger players, "pay to win" gameplay systems that favor those that spend money on loot boxes, and negative effects on gameplay systems to accommodate loot boxes. They have been criticised as being anti-consumer when implemented in full-priced games. Loot box also serve as a source of the virtual items used in gray-market skin gambling. Due to fears related to gambling, loot boxes have become regulated under gambling law in China, Japan, Australia, The Netherlands, Belgium, and the Isle of Man. Since November 2017, loot boxes are the subject of investigations by the gambling regulators of several more countries.