In Fifa 23, the Ultimate Team mode is controversial due to its loot box mechanics. WestLotto has now brought scientific aspects into the debate about the age rating of the game FIFA 23. They fall for Electronic Arts Football simulation is not particularly advantageous. According to an expert, FIFA 23 appears to be “risky for children and young people”.
In Fifa 23, Ultimate Team mode is Electronic Arts' money-making machine. The in-game currency for new packages can be laboriously earned, real money provides shortcuts - and provides corresponding advantages, at least if luck is in your favor and top players are drawn from the packages. After all: There is a small mitigation of the luck factor within a limited framework. With a preview pack, you can view the contents of a package without having to pay for it directly. The decision can therefore be made here after the content has been resolved, but this is an exception and not the rule.
Complex problem: age rating
According to the unanimous opinion of experts, loot boxes can be a dangerous entry point into gambling, especially for children and young people. Intensive clarification of the problem is therefore just as important as clear regulation. WestLotto is also strongly committed to this. The licensed and legal gambling providers in Germany stand for responsible gambling.
However, an unregulated offer of loot boxes clearly runs counter to youth and consumer protection. In the case of loot boxes, for example, purchase incentives are created using mechanisms that are prohibited in gambling. Corresponding regulatory intervention options are being discussed internationally and some have already been implemented. So far, however, there are no regulations for loot boxes in Germany.
WestLotto is now bringing the perspective of the internationally renowned addiction researcher, Prof. Gerhard Bühringer, to the social and political debate in Germany. "In order to protect children and young people from the dangers of problematic gambling, the decision-makers should be familiar with these scientific explanations," demands WestLotto company spokesman Axel Weber.
He is also Adjunct Professor in Addiction Psychiatry at Syddansk University in Odense, Denmark and a licensed clinical psychologist. Photo: WestLotto
How complex the problem is and at the same time how great the need for action is is impressively shown: The USK has approved the game without age restrictions and marked it as USK 0. Of course, loot boxes are part of the game.
The addiction researcher Professor Gerhard Bühringer from the TU Dresden commented on the subject in a WestLotto interview. His conclusion in summary: Due to the loot box mechanism, Fifa 23 can definitely be regarded as risky for children and young people.
According to the expert, the age classification by the USK test is already problematic. How is it even possible that Fifa 23 has received a rating of 0 years or more despite the loot box system? "First of all, this is due to the test itself," says Bühringer. According to its own statements, the USK evaluated the randomly based player packages, i.e. the loot boxes, under the aspect of “gambling” based on the currently valid USK guiding criteria.
Profit does not have to be money
"The USK denies any possible habituation to gambling, since these loot boxes are visually and technically clearly distanced from real gambling," explains the professor. However, the USK itself points out that interaction and usage risks, such as those that could arise from components that are not intrinsic to the game, such as purchase functions, among other things, were not taken into account in the assessment.
In relation to the special case of Fifa 23 and its mechanics, according to the expert, this means: "According to the usual definition, the loot boxes offered in FIFA 23 are clearly a game of chance". The criteria are fully met: "A fee is charged for acquiring a chance to win and the decision to win depends entirely or largely on chance".
By definition and practice, the win need not necessarily be an amount of money. "Therefore, this game should also be checked against this background," said the addiction researcher. According to the previously known criteria for risky games of chance, FIFA 23 with the player card packs, which are based on the loot box mechanisms and can be purchased for money, appear to be “risky for children and young people”, summarizes Bühringer.
When asked how he derives his assessment, the expert explains: “The following points are relevant to the question of whether it is a risky game of chance: Is there a loss of control or a problematic restriction of control in the area of personal development in children and adolescents ? Is there a loss of control or a problematic restriction of control in the area of finances, lifestyle and/or social contacts and obligations? If all of this is affirmed, suitable controls of use would be necessary to protect underage players”.
For FIFA 23, can these questions be answered with "yes"?
"You have to realize that there are special protection obligations for young people under the age of 18," says Bühringer. “These are based on the scientifically recognized assessment that the neurobiological and psychosocial maturation of young people is not yet complete. On average, this goes hand in hand with an increased risk appetite and reduced risk assessment. Beyond the legal level, there is an educational protective task for parents and participating educational bodies for the development of low-risk and risk-aware use of games of chance".
According to social values, the provider of such games with loot boxes and possible risks of behavioral addiction also bears a clear corporate responsibility, which is also laid down in the GlüStV 2021 and the SpielV.
"And if you now look at FIFA 23, then you come to the conclusion that there are characteristics of a game with risky characteristics of loot boxes," said the professor. He further explains: “1. Objectively, they have to make a significant investment of money to buy FIFA 23 - this is especially true in relation to the pocket money of children and young people. 2. Subjectively, there is a low purchase price per pack of player cards - but with high purchase frequency, this also becomes problematic. 3. The probability of getting good cards is very low and is only 1,7 percent even in the most expensive pack. 4. There are incentives for frequent repetition and thus increasing spending of money and 5. the social pressure on children and young people to participate is high.”
What is the current state of research on the danger of loot boxes in video games?
Bühringer explains: “For adults, there are two recent systematic reviews on the connection between problematic gaming behavior and the use of loot boxes by Internet gamers: These studies find a positive correlation between the high use of loot boxes and excessive as well as problematic video game participation.
The very few studies with young people also show a connection between loot box use and problematic video games, especially if loot boxes have to be paid for. However, it is important to note that, as is almost always the case with behavioral addictions, research on this specific topic is patchy. The measuring instruments are often not standardized, the samples are distorted, and there are no studies that allow causal statements.”
In the end, the topic also faces a problem with the lack of regulations for loot boxes.
What does this mean in the case of FIFA 23 and the age rating by the USK?
Bühringer: "According to several studies - despite all methodological weaknesses and research deficits - there is a clear connection between purchased loot boxes and problematic characteristics of video game participation by young people. No statements can be made about causality. Nevertheless, there is a need to reduce the risks mentioned by taking appropriate measures and to prevent problematic developments as far as possible. Against this background, the age classification of the USK is not comprehensible, even according to the guidelines for the testing of video games.
From the perspective of the addiction expert, various measures from the following selection should be combined to protect children and young people:
- FIFA 23 should only be available for purchase by adults.
- Adults should be educated about the financial and developmental risks in children and adolescents.
- The age rating should also be set at USK 16.
- The purchase of playing card packs per day should be limited by appropriate technical measures and only released from the age of 18.
Ultimately, however, the following also applies: "And as always: there is a need for further research!", says Professor Gerhard Bühringer.
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