Modern Gaming Makes Hostile Government Regulation Inevitable
Video games in the UK might be getting some government regulation after recommendations from the DCMS, and it's the industry's fault. | Credit: Christian Petersen / Getty Images / AFP
- The UK’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport has recommended hostile regulation.
- Ben Greenstone of Taso Advisory said the incoming regulation could be “significant.”
- This regulation is directly being caused by greedy companies like EA and toxic communities like those surrounding League of Legends and Call of Duty.
The government and video games don’t mix very well. The government has often treated video games with fear and suspicion. There have been several times they’ve tried to bring regulation to video games and usually failed.
Now, in the UK, there is a danger that heavy regulation is coming our way, thanks to recommendations handed down by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS). The worse part is that the modern games industry basically made it inevitable.
Modern Gaming Is the Mess That Caused Potential Regulation
These days, game companies have become too greedy. There has been an internal outcry at the use of certain monetization methods. Yet, companies like EA continue to use them and defend their use.
That is a large part of the reason that the UK government is probably heading towards regulation, all because of companies like EA and their refusal to just drop these monetization models.
It’s not just loot boxes that cause the issues though. The toxic environments which surround some of the biggest game franchises are also a massive cause for concern. They are also a reason that the industry is going to start seeing regulation.
The Toxic Side of Our Communities
According to Ben Greenstone of Taso Advisory , bullying is part of the reason that the UK Government is potentially going to crack down. Considering what goes on in a lot of communities, it’s hardly surprising.
Huge games like League of Legends and Call of Duty have insanely toxic communities. Stepping into these games at all can leave you getting hate mail and death threats. Hell, even just writing about video games is enough to get people swearing at you.
If we cannot clean up our own communities, of course governments are going to step in. By the same token, if game companies cannot rein in their greed, then of course regulations will be made to force them to rein it in.
This is a problem for the industry, but it’s a problem that the industry and the community have caused. If we don’t want government bodies stepping in, then we need to clean up our own mess.
