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Fnord666 [soylentnews.org] writes:

Google has made some major alterations to its Play Store policies that tighten rules surrounding sexual content, hate speech and loot boxes. Android Police [androidpolice.com] has spotted the changes, noting that they were designed to make the platform's ecosystem more suitable for children. Under the policies' Monetization and Ads [google.com] section, Google now notes that games offering randomized virtual items for purchase "must clearly disclose the odds of receiving those items in advance of purchase." In other words, you'll now know how hard it is to get particular items from loot boxes or gacha, so you can better manage your expectations.

The addition of the new rule coincides with the government's efforts to crack down on loot boxes. Senator Josh Hawley recently introduced [engadget.com] a bill that would prohibit games marketed towards children from selling them. The FTC also plans to host [engadget.com] a public workshop in August to look into consumer protection issues linked to the virtual items.

Source:
https://www.engadget.com/2019/05/30/google-android-apps-odds-loot-boxes/ [engadget.com]

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