US senator introduces bill to ban loot boxes and pay-to-win microtransactions

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) today announced a bill that would ban loot boxes and pay-to-win microtransactions in "games played by minors", a broad label that the senator says will include both games designed for kids under 18 and games "whose developers knowingly allow minor players to engage in microtransactions". Loot boxes are clearly gambling, and ought to be treated as such. I'm by no means enough of a lawyer to determine if this specific proposed bill does enough - or possibly too much - to curtail the predatory practices in games, but it's a good sign people are paying attention. We sure won't be able to count on Google or Apple, since both of them profit greatly from these predatory practices.