Confidential documents released by an insider at EA, exposes the gaming company encouraging players to buy in-game packs, which may have similarities to gambling.
The document includes several points about the game mode FIFA Ultimate Team which allows the purchase of “loot boxes” to win prizes or collect better players for their team.
The Executive Director of the U.S. National Council on Problem Gaming Keith Whyte said, “The features of a loot box are similar to a slot machine.”
“Nothing is more attractive — and in some people, addictive — to the brain than intermittent, variable reward.”
While loot boxes are not illegal in most countries including the U.S. and Canada, Belgium banned them in 2018 because of belief that they are virtually the same as gambling.
“Every single time we look for it, we find the same relationship. The people who spend heavily on loot boxes tend to have high levels of problem gambling.” said David Zendle, a gaming researcher and computer science lecturer at the U.K.’s University of York.
According to Niko Partners, a firm that analyzes the video game market, EA made $1.49 billion USD in 2020 from its loot boxes alone, in comparison to the $587 million they earned in 2015.
EA spokesperson Charlie Fortescue says the internal company document was being “viewed without context.” Fortescue declined an interview with CBC, and when asked for clarification on his statement, he gave no response.
“All EA games can be played without spending on in-game items, and the majority of players do not spend.”
The insider told CBC that he doesn’t feel right working on projects with loot boxes, which lead to him leaking the document.
“It’s getting harder and harder to defend what is very obviously unregulated gambling.”
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