By Jake BOWMAN

As a 30-year-old man I can still remember the days when playing video games was considered “nerdy” or “uncool.” Those of us who were passionate about games and the culture surrounding them often had to seek companionship online or in the dark corners of high school. Recently that has begun to change; what was once an activity that seemingly only a few participated in now dominates headlines.

It would be hard to trace exactly when this happened, and there are undoubtedly multiple things that caused it, but I think one of the changes in public perception about gaming stems from the amount of money currently being poured into them. Most of the talk surrounding the industry these days revolves around money. How much do games cost and how much do they make? How much do game developers get paid and are they mistreated? What’s the current pay for professional gamers (yes that’s a real job now and absolutely something people can strive for) and how much is the prize pool for the next tournament? Are some games predatory? While each of these questions have been talked about and each deserves its own article, the predatory nature of games is currently at the forefront.

Missouri senator Josh Hawley recently proposed legislation to “ban manipulative video game features aimed at children,” according to a recent post on his website.

This isn’t the first time this issue has been brought up; many countries around the world have attempted to classify certain aspects of games as gambling in an attempt to stem the flood of greedy development practices. The issues often revolve around “loot boxes” that are a way for someone to pay to have a chance to receive certain items in a game. Often these items are cosmetic, but sometimes they can have an impact on how the game is played and affect how the player interacts with others. The drive to be the best in whatever game is being played or to have the best items often leads to people spending hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars buying these boxes just for the chance that they will get the item they seek. It’s easy to see how people can compare these loot boxes to slot machines and other forms of gambling. That’s what many countries, like Denmark, have attempted to do. Until now, their respective gambling authorities have denied that loot boxes constitute gambling.

Whether or not the bill proposed by Senator Hawley will have a different result in the U.S remains to be seen.

As someone who hates loot boxes and what they represent to games, I am torn on this issue. On the one hand, I believe that people should be left to govern themselves and be allowed to make whatever decisions, either good or bad, they want and accept those consequences. On the flip side, loot boxes and greedy practices like them (games as a service, season passes, episodes … etc.) represent a shift in the community that is undeniably negative. Whereas games were once created with love and passion for a small nerdy community, they are now manufactured for the masses with the explicit goal of making money. This has led to a downgrade in the quality of games over the years and, well, it’s sad.

Games are a form of escapism; instead of focusing on the stress of day-to-day life. As a player, I can escape into a world of magic, dragons, flying ships and many more. For just a few hours a day or a week, I can immerse myself into a world where I know all the rules and I’m the hero of the story. I can get lost in a narrative that elicits a variety of raw emotions like joy, sadness and anger. All of that gets ruined the moment I have to pay another $10 just to access a part of the game that should have come with my original purchase.

This is an issue that doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon and the future of gaming will be drastically different depending on who wins this fight.