About This Course
Loot boxes and deceptive design practices (a.k.a. “dark patterns”), are perennial issues in the video game industry, as they remain key levers for monetization in the free-to-play meta. This CLE course provides an overview of how loot boxes butt up against gambling regulations, and common practices in game and UX design that in isolation may be unproblematic but nevertheless can lead players into making choices they otherwise wouldn’t have made, especially in tandem.
Landmark cases are discussed, including Kater v. Churchill Downs that examines how virtual goods and currencies that video game companies assert to have no real world value nonetheless qualify as a “thing of value” in the realm of gambling regulations, and the design practices that got Epic Games FTC-slapped with an eye watering $520 million total in fines for unwanted purchases and COPPA violations, and more!
Lastly, we will explore best practices for mitigating risks associated with these common yet precarious game design practices and mechanics, while preserving what makes the game fun for players (and keeps video game companies in business).
