Gaming and Loot Boxes

A recent development in the gaming world is the resurgence of Battlefront 2's microtransactions. Battlefront 2, Electronic Arts' Star Wars game that came out in late 2017, received major pushback after it was discovered that there were pay-to-win aspects in the game. EA took out the pay-to-win aspects of the video game before launch and released a half completed game with much to be desired, with the promise that microtransactions would return. Recently EA said that they will soon be returning to having microtransactions in-game but said that they would only be coming out with cosmetic items that won't affect gameplay. Microtransactions have been criticized for being a form of gambling that is accessible to children but it is still a hotly debated topic. With gambling able to entrance anyone of any age we have to wonder if this decision is the right one. Although Battlefront 2 isn't targeted directly at children it is common knowledge of all gamers that regardless or a game's rating, children will most certainly play any game they can get their hands on. This type of targeting is similar to how gambling targets less financially stable people so they can try to win more money than they have. This targeting is very diverse and can affect anyone, and really shines a light on how parents teach their children, and how parents monitor how children spend money, theirs or otherwise.

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