Gaming is one of the most widely enjoyed hobbies on the planet, right up there with watching TV and movies and listening to music. Collectively, more than a billion people play games like Fortnite, Call of Duty, Pokemon GO and tons of other titles. Given how much gaming has permeated society, it's unsurprising that one government is now examining the effect that gaming is having on society.

In a press release today, the UK's House of Commons' Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport issued a call to gamers and young people to submit evidence over whether gaming is "harmful or helpful to society." The inquiry is about "immersive and addictive technologies" and the department wants to know how games keep people playing for longer, if help is available for those concerned they have an addition to gaming, and whether young people are disproportionately affected by gaming addiction. People can submit written evidence that is no more than 3,000 words long to the Committee for review.

FTC video game loot box investigation

The UK's call for evidence about whether or not gaming is addictive follows an industry-wide debate about whether loot boxes constitute gambling. The randomized loot drop mechanic is widely used in games, but over the last 18 months, many have wondered whether they are encouraging people to become addicts.

The debate led to loot box bans in some areas of the world as politicians agreed that randomized loot mechanics should be regulated. It has also led to changes in the way that information about in-game purchases and loot drops is displayed.

The UK Gambling Commission did respond to the loot box controversy, saying that it does not consider loot boxes in games like Overwatch and Star Wars Battlefront 2 to be gambling. However, the UK government also explained that it would keep a close eye on the situation and continue to investigate loot boxes and similar mechanics. It seems that this call for evidence is part of that.

Understandably, though, some will be concerned about the outcome of this investigation. Politicians have issued questionable statements about gaming in the past, with President Donald Trump expressing issue at the level of violence in video games. The evidence gathered may well provide more fuel for anti-gaming rhetoric or it could help to properly inform those in charge of policy about the benefits of gaming and what more it can do to support the industry or issue regulations about loot boxes. Either way, many will be closely watching the outcome of this inquiry.

Source: Parliament

Image: Maurice on Flickr (with a Creative Commons 2.0 License)