Valve is once again in legal trouble over its in-game loot boxes, a feature most prevalent in shooters like Counter-Strike 2, not even two weeks after facing a lawsuit from the state of New York over the same issue.
It's no secret that Valve has been under fire from all angles over its loot box system and its Steam market. Last year, YouTube smacked down on videos about Counter-Strike 2 after kickstarting new restrictions against content depicting gambling – and gambling is precisely what folks are saying the loot boxes essentially are now.
On February 25, Valve was sued by New York, with a demand for "full restitution" for players. Now, consumers in the state of Washington are similarly suing the company behind Steam over its loot boxes.
Spotted by PC Gamer, the full class-action complaint claims that "Valve's loot boxes are not incidental features of its games." Instead, "they are a deliberate, carefully engineered revenue model." It outlines how the loot box system "constitutes illegal gambling under Washington law," citing the state's own definition.
Gambling, according to Washington state law, is "staking or risking something of value upon the outcome of a contest of chance or a future contingent event not under the person's control or influence."
The complaint argues that "Valve's loot boxes satisfy every element of this definition." It then describes the overall Steam market, where users can sell virtual items for Steam Wallet funds – money that they can then use to purchase games and the like.
Furthermore, the complaint uses this as an example of how "the real monetary value of Valve's virtual items is not an accident – it is a product of Valve's intentional design choices."
It also argues, "Loot boxes use the same psychological techniques as casino games – rewards delivered on unpredictable schedules to keep players spending, visual and audio effects designed to mimic the excitement of a slot machine, 'near miss' animations that create the illusion of almost winning, and around-the-clock availability."
In an accompanying press release, Steve Berman, founder and managing partner at law firm Hagens Berman, writes, "We believe Valve deliberately engineered its gambling platform and profited enormously from it. Consumers played these games for entertainment, unaware that Valve had allegedly already stacked the odds against them. We intend to hold Valve accountable and put money back in the pockets of consumers."
He goes on to state, "What makes this case particularly egregious is that Valve knew children were on the other end of these transactions" – something the company has previously faced criticism for.
"Rather than protect young players through age verification or a parental consent mechanism, we believe they rigged the game to extract more money from them." Valve has done so via its loot box and marketplace systems, allegedly.
It's not an argument we've not heard before. Prior to this lawsuit, and even the one from the state of New York – the $6 billion Counter-Strike 2 market crashes immediately jump to my mind. Here's hoping this prompts a bit of change.
Searching for something to play? Browse through our roundup of the best new games coming this year and beyond for exciting titles to wishlist.
