The release of the highly-anticipated Star Wars Battlefront II made a splash this Tuesday. The action shooter video game is based on the popular fantasy Star Wars, which appeared among the top movies in the box office. Electronic Arts (EA) and Disney are the companies associated with the game, which appeared to be thrilled to incorporate features from the highly-beloved film Star wars into their most recent blockbuster video game. But what ruffled players’ feathers were certain features of the game which are specifically related to gambling games. Hence, the game was considered as inappropriate for players under the allowed gambling age.
The decision to include gambling games-related features was accepted with mixed feelings by the gamers. Many of them expressed their strong disapproval of the gambling nature of Star Wars Battlefront II. А storm is brewing in the social media, where gamers criticize the two companies’ decision. The opponents of the recently released game explained that it encourages children or adolescents to gamble.
Star Wars Battlefront II’s Controversial Nature Unleashes Debates
The game itself is developed by Electronic Arts, while Disney is the owner of Star Wars trademark. The two companies joined forces to create the game, which was expected to be accepted with a great acclaim. But it achieved the opposite effect as the two companies introduced the so-called loot crate system, which involves real money.
In its nature, loot crate system allows players to collect consumable virtual items via loot box, which can be best described as a form of monetization within the gambling environment. The players can either buy the loot boxes via “microtransactions” to buy “crystals” or win them during the game. The purchased crates offer a randomized selection of virtual items, which are valuable for the game. To make it clearer, the gamers invest real money, which is converted into in-game currency.
These loot crates can help players to win certain prizes during the game. The presence of a prize dependent on a real-money investment is what classifies the game as a gambling game. The features, which are inherent to the gambling games include the presence of consideration (money that the player invest to play), prize and chance. Some gamblers explained that Star Wars Battlefront II is a game dependent on skills rather than on chance, so it can be viewed as a non-gambling game, which also makes it legal. On the other hand, all other gambling games-related features are incorporated in the game, which makes it even harder to classify the game as gambling or non-gambling.
EA spokesperson commented that the game cannot be viewed as gambling in any way as the players’ performance in the game is not dependent on purchasing the loot crates, but it is dependent on their skills in the game. According to the latest news, the game is a subject of an investigation launched by Belgium’s gambling authority.
