In accordance with their stand against the predatory nature of loot boxes found in some of today's retail Video Games, Hawaiin lawmakers are introducing a quartet of bills that, if passed, will prohibit the sale of these games to consumers who are under the age of 21.

The plan was announced by the Hawaiin Tribune-Herald. As reported, there are four bills that are designed to prohibit the sale of loot boxes, a type of microtransaction that contains a bundle of randomized items that players can obtain through actual purchases made in-game.

One pair called "House Bill 2686" and "Senate Bill 3024" could ban the sale of any game featuring a loot box system to anyone under 21-years-old, if passed.

The other two bills, "House Bill 2727" and "Senate Bill 3025," could make video game publishers label games containing such loot box systems and disclose the probability rates of receiving each loot box reward.

The situation thus far

Back in November, Belgium's Gaming Commission gave notice of its plan for banning micro-transaction of video games due to potential gambling displayed in current games such as "Star Wars: Battlefront II" and "Overwatch." The Commission believed these microtransactions were a form of gambling and preyed upon younger players who were more susceptible.

Almost a week after Belgian Gaming Commission made its announcement, Hawaiin lawmakers decided to take a crack at investigating such shenanigans present in Star Wars: Battlefront II and came to a similar conclusion.

In fact, in the announcement, Hawaiin State Rep. Chris Lee called out Electronic Arts for incorporating loot boxes in the game. He labeled it as a Star Wars-themed online casino, even adding the notion that "it's a trap!"

Since then, Lee and other lawmakers in Hawaii have been pushing for regulative support in the manner and have even reached out to other states in order to establish a country-wide intervention.

Fast forward to present time and the Hawaiin Tribune-Herald is presenting these four bills for consideration.

What this could lead to

Currently, nothing has come to fruition yet and it could very well remain that way. However, Lee's movement could gain serious momentum in government as evidenced by the fact that this very quartet of bills was even put into consideration.

If Hawaiin lawmakers succeed, it could lead to a major shakeup in the local video game industry even if the bills remain within Hawaiin borders. Besides the U.S. legislation, there is also the possibility that other countries could follow the examples of both Hawaii and Belgium's
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