Groups urge U.S. to probe ‘loot box’ on Electronic Arts video game

WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) - Consumer advocates on Thursday urged U.S. regulators to investigate online game maker Electronic Arts Inc (EA.O) for what they say was the misleading use of a digital "loot box" that "aggressively" urges players to spend extra money while playing a well-liked soccer game.

The groups Fairplay, Middle for Digital Democracy and 13 other organizations urged the Federal Commerce Commission to probe the EA game "FIFA: Final Team".

Within the recreation, gamers build a soccer workforce using avatars of real gamers and compete towards other teams. In a letter to the FTC, the teams mentioned the game often prices $50 to $100 but that the company pushed push players to spend more.

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"It entices gamers to purchase packs searching for particular gamers," said the letter despatched by these teams along with the Consumer Federation of America and Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Well being and others.

The packs, or loot boxes, are packages of digital content generally purchased with actual cash that give the purchaser a potential benefit in a recreation. They are often purchased with digital forex, which can obscure how a lot is spent, they mentioned.

"The probabilities of opening a coveted card, similar to a Participant of the Year, are miniscule unless a gamer spends 1000's of dollars on points or performs for hundreds of hours to earn cash," the groups mentioned in the letter.

Digital Arts mentioned in a statement on Thursday that of the game's thousands and thousands of players, 78% have not made an in-game purchase.

"Spending is always optionally available," a company spokesperson mentioned in an e-mail statement. "We encourage the usage of parental controls, together with spend controls, which are available for every major gaming platform, together with EA's own platforms."

The spokesperson also mentioned the company created a dashboard so players would observe how much time they played, how many packs they opened and what purchases have been made.

The FTC, which fits after corporations engaged in deceptive habits, held a workshop on loot boxes in 2019. In a "workers perspective" which adopted, the agency noted that online game microtransactions have become a multibillion-dollar market.

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Reporting by Diane Bartz in Washington Enhancing by David Gregorio and Matthew Lewis

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