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The State Of Hawaii Investigating EA For "Predatory Practices"
Yesterday, Democratic State Representative from Hawaii Chris Lee held a press conference to explain that the state of Hawaii is going to be investigating legislation banning games like EA's Star Wars: Battlefront II from being played by young children, both in Hawaii and possibly pursuing it on a national scale.
Similar to Belgium also declaring today that the government has ruled that games with lootboxes will henceforth be categorized as gambling, Hawaii is pursuing investigations is whether the same idea applies in the U.S.
"This game is a Star Wars-themed online casino," Lee said from the podium. "It's a trap."
You can find the video here of Lee, speaking with other legislator Sean Quinlan, a concerned parent, and a gamer who just seems to be mad about lootboxes ruining games.
Our Take
It is one thing to have this problem in Belgium or Hawaii, but both at once implies that there is momentum to the concerns. It is starting small, but if it becomes politically beneficial to take a stand against this idea, then the industry is going to be forced to move in ways they explicitly do not want to.
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