Loot boxes. They might not feel as potent as they once did, now that live-service titles ensure you have to grind for your loot rather than rely on luck with battle passes, but there's still the chance to roll the dice in a lot of games. A lot of Valve games, according to the latest posts from New York attorney general Letitia James, who is leading a lawsuit against the Steam owner for its use of loot boxes.
"Valve, a video game developer, has made billions of dollars by letting children and adults illegally gamble for the chance to win valuable virtual prizes," James writes in a post on Bluesky. "These features are addictive and harmful. That's why I'm suing to stop Valve's unlawful conduct and protect New Yorkers."
Valve has not yet issued a response to the lawsuit, which was compiled in a complaint first filed on Wednesday (via Reuters). "Valve's loot boxes are particularly pernicious because they are popular among children and adolescents," it reads, stating that children introduced to gambling by age 12 are four times more likely to become problem gamblers as adults.
It's safe to say this has caused quite a stir online, with a lot of Valve's fans stepping in to try and defend the company. "There are so many genuinely anti consumer practices that need to be targeted. Going after Valve when they're one of the most pro consumer studios in the world is so ridiculous," writes one user.
Others point out that even if Valve does some pro-consumer good out there in the gaming world, that doesn't mean the company hasn't been promoting gambling to young people from an early age with things like CS:GO skins and Dota 2 chests.