Free Republic

New York's attorney general sued Valve, a video game developer whose franchises include Counter-Strike, Team Fortress and Dota, accusing it of promoting illegal gambling and threatening to addict children through its use of "loot boxes." In a complaint filed on Wednesday in a state court in Manhattan, Attorney General Letitia James said Valve's loot boxes amounted to "quintessential gambling," violating the state's constitution and penal law, with valuable items often hard to win and many items worth pennies. Valve, based in Bellevue, Washington, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Loot boxes let players use real money to buy...

Hawley's bill, called The Protecting Children from Abusive Games Act, would ban loot boxes and "pay-to-win" microtransactions in titles targeted at or popular among minors, likening the business model to addiction. Hawley cites the popular mobile title Candy Crush Saga as an example, as it allows players to purchase a $150 "Luscious Bundle" to make the game easier, though it is certainly far from the only title to offer these kinds of spending options. A large number of mobile games are designed to encourage microtransactions, and many of today's most popular PC and console games, including PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Rocket League,...