Hidden danger in computer games for children? Czech Republic is not addressing anything
Computer games can teach your children to gamble, and you might not even know how. While this is already beginning to be strictly limited abroad, in our country we are resting on laurels. Moreover, these aren't just obviously gambling games, but even seemingly innocent ones, even purely girlish ones.
It's about games in which something abstract is bought for money. It is only after the purchase that the user finds out what they have bought, essentially what they "won". The problem is that sometimes children are manipulated and pushed into these purchases.
Gambling in the Czech Republic
One of the most striking representatives of such games in our country is the game CS2.
Within this popular game, Counter-Strike 2, youtuber Petr Brunner, known as EvilBender, lost a million crowns. There were reportedly evenings when he lost tens of thousands of crowns on websites. However, this was not a classic gambling in the form of slot machines and online casinos, but skins for a well-known shooter game, writes antiyoutuber.
The problem is also that at one time these gambling openers were streamed by some players on platforms like Youtube or Twitch. Later they backed off, realizing the risk of gambling. The mentioned platforms no longer support these types of streams either.
In the game, he bought keys to boxes, which may hide various valuable items. Some even very rare.
So it combines curiosity, the desire to open something valuable and basically a very simple payment method.
There's no problem with constantly buying new skins.
The situation was worsened by the fact that you can truly sell all weapon skins and earn from it. The games also subtly manipulate players to buy paid packages.
Loot boxes, skins, virtual reward packages - a definite ban!
For this reason, that skins, or also loot boxes or other winning packages de facto copy principles of gambling, several countries have adopted regulation so that games with this content are not accessible to children.
The Czech Republic has not yet adopted similar measures.
"By ignoring, unfortunately, we bury all the changes in the field of gambling games of the recent years, which took a lot of time, effort and money,"
warns Jan Řehola, director of Institute for Gaming Regulation.
Some games are banned
Belgium and the Netherlands consider it an illegal form of gambling and have banned their sale.
Great Britain has banned the use of loot boxes only in the case where their contents can be sold outside the video game itself.
China and South Korea require game developers to disclose the odds of winning prizes.
Japan only bans certain types of loot boxes, such as "kompu gacha" – these are boxes with rare rewards, which can only be unlocked after purchasing a collection of other items from loot boxes.
CS:GO and the French attempt to circumnavigate gambling
France easily got around it. On Reddit, six years ago, an interesting piece of information appeared, which aimed to mitigate the addiction to opening boxes. CS:GO players had to use an "X-ray scanner", to see exactly what was in the box. Only then could they decide, whether to pay for the box or not. In the end, it was canceled, because according to local laws, the boxes did not constitute gambling, because the skins obtained could be further sold.
Star Stable also entices girls to shop
This popular game for girls with a virtual and very elaborate world of horses, stables, beautiful little town and nature, had a similar problem. Pressure to buy virtual currency, game clothes, equipment for horses, the horses themselves. This was also applied during seasonal events, Christmas, Halloween, when there were incredibly tempting new magic horses, stylish clothes, etc. The official complaint, therefore, called for mitigation.
Overall, there is at least pressure for these financial requirements beyond purchasing the game itself not to be visible, or purchases are not a condition for the game's functionality.
Parental controls as a solution?
An appropriate measure is also setting limits through the activation of parental controls and limiting purchases in games. It is also good to discuss what you want to buy in the game and why. What you already perceive as excessive pressure.
Sources: monolith.law/, commission.europa.eu, reddit.com, antiyoutuber.cz, press release
