Video game studios that feature lockboxes in their titles are sitting very uncomfortably this week as England decides whether or not to make their lives a whole lot more difficult. According to The Guardian, UK lawmakers may classify lockboxes and their virtual ilk as gambling in order to protect the nation’s children from what some see as gateways to addictive behavior.
“[Lockboxes] are a virtually speculative commodity that only help to normalise and encourage young people to take a chance,” said Labour MP Carolyn Harris. “All too often this will lead to youngsters developing an addiction to gambling.”
If such restrictions do become law, then studios are going to have to scramble to figure out what to do with their games in the country. A University of York study noted that last year, 71% of the most popular Steam titles contained lockboxes.
Back in April, the European-based PEGI started adding lockbox notices to warning labels on video games.
