Proposed bill would ban video game loot boxes and micro-transactions

Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri plans to introduce a new bill banning microtransactions in games marketed towards kids.Titled “The Protecting Children from Abusive Games Act,” the bill would prevent the sale of “loot boxes,” that contain a random collection of items, and “pay to win” Hawley, who has also criticized social media platforms, says the micro-transactions are designed to profit from addiction and compulsive behavior.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.Government officials want to crack down on an increasingly common feature of video games: Loot boxes. Missouri Senator Josh Hawley plans to introduce a new bill that would ban the use of loot boxes and other types of micro-transactions in video games that are marketed toward children. The Washington Post reports that Hawley's bill will be called “The Protecting Children from Abusive Games Act,” and would affect games designed for children, as well as mature games with players under the age of 18 like “Mortal Kombat” or “Call of Duty.”Micro-transactions have become a major part of the video game industry, and provide the entire business model of many popular games. For example, “Fortnite” is available for free but was able to generate more than $2 billion from micro-transactions last year. Other popular games that include some version of micro-transactions include “FIFA 19,” “Apex Legends,” “Overwatch,” “PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds,” and “NBA 2K19.”But what exactly is the difference between a loot box and a micotransaction？ Here's a look of the controversial new game payment features raising the ire of lawmakers, and a breakdown of everything you need to know about loot boxes: