I wonder if there is a way to have a loot box that isn't designed to trigger the addictive centers of the brain, which cause people to compulsively open them. That way, both sides would essentially be happy.
Many games would not exist without these type of boxes - I certainly think most of perfect worlds games would have to shut down without them.
I think there is a fine line between encouraging gambling and allowing a person to make their own decisions.
Hopefully a solution can be found that will help those who spend uncontrollably whilst still allowing 'freemium' games to continue.
The problem this category of laws faces is that it's focused on protecting people from themselves. Sure it's not phrased that way, but realistically, only people with a self control problem waste their entire paycheck on stuff like this.
This is why I'm fine with adults using loot boxes, however children absolutely should not be able to because they don't have the maturity necessary to make those decisions.
The main problem is you can't exactly card anyone over the internet to verify they are old enough. Also... legal drinking ages in different countries might be different from the US, which begs the question... who's standard do we judge an internationally accessable game by? American standards of either legal drinking or smoking, or another nation's standards?
Way too many variables, and again... can't verify.
So far the only real solution is what STO is already doing. Stuff that isn't required, which reinforces the desire to open boxes to stay competative, and not able to be sold for real world money.
Frankly... EA frakked up with their greed, now everyone's having problems in one form or another.
Many games would not exist without these type of boxes - I certainly think most of perfect worlds games would have to shut down without them.
I think there is a fine line between encouraging gambling and allowing a person to make their own decisions.
Hopefully a solution can be found that will help those who spend uncontrollably whilst still allowing 'freemium' games to continue.
The problem this category of laws faces is that it's focused on protecting people from themselves. Sure it's not phrased that way, but realistically, only people with a self control problem waste their entire paycheck on stuff like this.
This is why I'm fine with adults using loot boxes, however children absolutely should not be able to because they don't have the maturity necessary to make those decisions.
At what age do you think they should learn this sort of thing? Also, $$$ comes from somewhere. Whose money would they be spending?
Many games would not exist without these type of boxes - I certainly think most of perfect worlds games would have to shut down without them.
I think there is a fine line between encouraging gambling and allowing a person to make their own decisions.
Hopefully a solution can be found that will help those who spend uncontrollably whilst still allowing 'freemium' games to continue.
The problem this category of laws faces is that it's focused on protecting people from themselves. Sure it's not phrased that way, but realistically, only people with a self control problem waste their entire paycheck on stuff like this.
This is why I'm fine with adults using loot boxes, however children absolutely should not be able to because they don't have the maturity necessary to make those decisions.
At what age do you think they should learn this sort of thing? Also, $$$ comes from somewhere. Whose money would they be spending?
Last time I asked that question (in the CO forums), I was told the children would be swiping their parents' credit cards. When I asked why the parents aren't responsible for making sure their children won't/can't do that, I was told that in Europe these things are handled differently. I dunno, just seems ludicrous to me.
Last time I asked that question (in the CO forums), I was told the children would be swiping their parents' credit cards. When I asked why the parents aren't responsible for making sure their children won't/can't do that, I was told that in Europe these things are handled differently. I dunno, just seems ludicrous to me.
Many games would not exist without these type of boxes - I certainly think most of perfect worlds games would have to shut down without them.
I think there is a fine line between encouraging gambling and allowing a person to make their own decisions.
Hopefully a solution can be found that will help those who spend uncontrollably whilst still allowing 'freemium' games to continue.
The problem this category of laws faces is that it's focused on protecting people from themselves. Sure it's not phrased that way, but realistically, only people with a self control problem waste their entire paycheck on stuff like this.
This is why I'm fine with adults using loot boxes, however children absolutely should not be able to because they don't have the maturity necessary to make those decisions.
At what age do you think they should learn this sort of thing? Also, $$$ comes from somewhere. Whose money would they be spending?
Last time I asked that question (in the CO forums), I was told the children would be swiping their parents' credit cards. When I asked why the parents aren't responsible for making sure their children won't/can't do that, I was told that in Europe these things are handled differently. I dunno, just seems ludicrous to me.
Well, in Germany, credit cards are still not that common, but there are other forms of electronic payment available. I believe starting at the age of 16 (maybe earlier) you can have a bank account in your name. I believe you can't go in debt with such an account at that age, but if you had 3,000 € from your confirmation and another 2,000 from your grandparents to afford your driver's license when you become 17, that's already a big hole to rip in your financial future.
But even if the parents are in charge of the credit card in theory -if it's commonly used in a household, like for just buying groceries, the children might be able to use them. And you can spend what, 800 $ or so just within a month for STO, and that would already rip a hole in some family's account. Normally the kid might act perfectly reasonable with the money it has available to it and know better to spend it on nonsense, and thus the parent's trust is reasonably and warranted. But gambling easily makes you often unable to
- realize how much you are spending
- stop early because the next time you could win really big!
The fundamental aspect why we control gambling is that it overturns our "normal" sensibilities and gets us to behave irresponsible. It's kinda like alcohol - no matter the age, you don't start acting smart when drunk. We just assume that a certain age you might realize when you stop, or not to start at all, and if you don't, that is your flaw. But with children, we don't assume they are capable fo that yet.
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
And when the children make mistakes because they don't think about consequences yet, that's when their parents are supposed to come in. My son is old enough now to understand that certain behaviors are simply unacceptable; however, before he understood that, he learned that certain behaviors could lead to things like the temporary confiscation of a favorite toy or loss of time with video games. I didn't expect anyone outside this household to enforce those rules (well, except at school, as they stand in loco parentis while he's there).
So why is it Cryptic's (or any other game publisher's) job to make sure that some minor isn't lying to his/her parents and misusing available resources? Where are the parents in this scenario? Is this one of those weird tween shows on Disney XD where a group of ten-to-twelve-year-olds are living in a luxury apartment making videos while parents are apparently nonexistent?
Many games would not exist without these type of boxes - I certainly think most of perfect worlds games would have to shut down without them.
I think there is a fine line between encouraging gambling and allowing a person to make their own decisions.
Hopefully a solution can be found that will help those who spend uncontrollably whilst still allowing 'freemium' games to continue.
The problem this category of laws faces is that it's focused on protecting people from themselves. Sure it's not phrased that way, but realistically, only people with a self control problem waste their entire paycheck on stuff like this.
This is why I'm fine with adults using loot boxes, however children absolutely should not be able to because they don't have the maturity necessary to make those decisions.
At what age do you think they should learn this sort of thing? Also, $$$ comes from somewhere. Whose money would they be spending?
There are certain things that even parents can't legally permit their children to do, and one of those things is gambling. However if a minor walks into a casino it is the responsibility of the staff, not the parent, to ensure that the minor does not use a slot machine. That's why when, as a minor, my family took a vacation to Vegas I had strict rules I had to follow, the biggest one being that when entering any hotel I had to walk directly from the door to either the restaurant or the elevator without stopping. Any pause would result in security walking over to hurry me along, because if I put even a penny into a machine the hotel would be liable regardless of where I got that penny from.
I don't care if it's allowance on a reloadable card, a birthday gift card, or theft of a parent's credit card, the burden should be on the game company to ensure underage players don't participate in gambling systems, which is why I said earlier that a firm age restriction would effectively be an outright ban.
If you present evidence that a reasonable, intelligent person would take as demonstrating you're of age, then the business has performed its due diligence and is not responsible for your age after that.
In a casino or bar, you present ID, which they check against your appearance (and also check for obvious flaws - in Washington state, your ID is embossed with multiple holographic state seals, so they know any ID without that is fake). It's not like they can take a DNA sample and check your telomere length against a standardized database.
Online, that takes the form of standard verifications - the same ones used to prove your credit or debit card isn't stolen, or the number simply copied without other verification data (the confirmation code number on the back, for instance, or sometimes personal data which the user has registered for the purpose). Two-factor authentication for online purchases is in its relative infancy, so is not yet required - but it's not the fault of an online business if someone presents data indicating that they are of a certain age, or indeed are even a certain person, falsely. Requiring an online business to verify identity in the same fashion as a physical location does is, in essence, requiring all online businesses to close, as this is not possible.
And that's where the concept of unenforceability comes in. Some places in the US actually have laws prohibiting private gambling. The problem is that the people who ostensibly are in charge of enforcing this have no way to know if the law is being broken. Thus it is something that can't be enforced unless something out of the ordinary brings it to their attention. Age regulation on online transactions is the same way. Lots of online services have a check box asking you if you're 18 or older. They have no way of verifying if you actually are.
Which leaves the concept of lockbox regulation in a bad place. The basic concept relies on "big brother" watching everything you do or the laws are effectively unenforceable. That or arbitrary bans that affect everyone, even those people who you have no reason to regulate.
And that's where "due diligence" comes in - you take reasonable steps to attempt to ensure your customers fit whatever the given profile is. For instance, Bethesda.net, the website where (among other things) Bethesda Softworks keeps the user-provided mods for Skyrim and Fallout 4, requires that you enter your birthdate before permitting you access (some of the mods are, shall we say, "mature" in nature, after all). It's entirely possible that someone is lying in order to access the site, but Bethesda is performing due diligence - if somebody reads a word they're not supposed to yet, well, it's not the company's fault that they were lied to.
The due diligence that can be performed by a sales location would include such things as age questions and verification of financial instruments used. As for the hypothetical about some kid spending gift money given him on a prepaid card, why is it the sales company's responsibility to ensure that the kid's money isn't "wasted", and not the kid's or the parents'? Is "personal responsibility" not a thing in Europe?
And that's where "due diligence" comes in - you take reasonable steps to attempt to ensure your customers fit whatever the given profile is. For instance, Bethesda.net, the website where (among other things) Bethesda Softworks keeps the user-provided mods for Skyrim and Fallout 4, requires that you enter your birthdate before permitting you access (some of the mods are, shall we say, "mature" in nature, after all). It's entirely possible that someone is lying in order to access the site, but Bethesda is performing due diligence - if somebody reads a word they're not supposed to yet, well, it's not the company's fault that they were lied to.
The due diligence that can be performed by a sales location would include such things as age questions and verification of financial instruments used. As for the hypothetical about some kid spending gift money given him on a prepaid card, why is it the sales company's responsibility to ensure that the kid's money isn't "wasted", and not the kid's or the parents'? Is "personal responsibility" not a thing in Europe?
Of course "Personal Responsibility" is also a thing in Europe. But often not for children, and it doesn't mean that the parents are automatically liable, either. The parents aren't offering gambling services to the children. You have to show that they were negligent in their supervision of their child if they are supposed to be "responsible" for it in any way. What is sufficient supervision will depend on the age and maturity of the child, as well as the circumstances.
But anyway, there is no European regulation on this topic yet. We are arguing hypotheticals.
Who is to say that if Europe as a whole creates "anti-lockbox" regulation, that an explicit an age check wouldn't be enough to satisfy the regulation? But maybe it will require more, like an online identification mechanism (such exist for banking and postal services already and do not require more than a government licensed ID and either a webcam or a visit to the nearest post office.)
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
I'm betting when the dust settles on all this the overall changes will amount to some manner of gambling warning listed with the ESRB ratings (or whatever equivalent the involved countries use) and some manner of age verification field during a games account creation. Loot boxes might wind up being restricted for countries that have outright gambling bans, and we'll probably see some manner of legal fight over taxation of revenue generated from lock boxes.
I seriously doubt we will ever see the loot boxes ever fully disappear from gaming.
I wonder if there is a way to have a loot box that isn't designed to trigger the addictive centers of the brain, which cause people to compulsively open them. That way, both sides would essentially be happy.
I have no idea. I don't see how lockboxes are addictive in the first place. The moment you open one and don't get the result you want, the "addiction" should be immediately broken as you go into problem-solving mode to figure out how to prevent that from occurring. At that point the only thing you'd be deriving out of it is frustration as the problem continues to go unsolved.
I don't see how they are addictive either but we just don't have that type of personality I guess. Maybe some of the big spenders around here can explain what compels to open hundreds of lock boxes and why they can't stop until they have blown an entire months worth of living expenses and potentially more on something where the odds only favor the company taking your money.
and some manner of age verification field during a games account creation.
Again... HOW do you verify age online? I admit I'm 31. But you can't prove that. You can't card me. For all you know I might actually be a very articulate 12 year old.
That's the main issue with throwing around the idea of age verification with the internet. Someone suggested going to a post office? LOL! Ever heard of a proxy? If they wanted to they can just ask someone who's old enough to go in and do it for them! Kinda like how some high schoolers get around the legal drinking age here in the US by having someone older, who can legally buy alcohol, go in and buy it. They aren't buying it themselves. So TECHNICALLY it was a legal purchase.
And using a webcam to verify age? Some people actually look younger than they actually are. I get that all the time. Back in my 20s, and still a little bit now, I get people thinking I'm around 18 or so.
You see the problem? Even if it was just using one single nation's laws... people either lie or work around it. The only real way to keep things from getting out of hand... is to not put anything required to stay competative in the box in the first place.
STO does that already. Everything in our lockbox is not required. Its nice to have, but you don't NEED it. EA frakked up in that regard, hence why this is an issue in the first place. They got so greedy they decided to put items in their lockboxes for Battlefront 2 that you NEED to have to stay competative. Oh sure you could grind it out... if you LIVED in the game for god knows how long. It was a system tailor made to PUSH people into spending money on the boxes, which only offers a CHANCE. Kinda like how TOR's F2P model doesn't even allow a pure F2P player to have BANK ACCESS without giving their EA Overlords $5. A BANK! A BASIC SERVICE FOR ANY MMO! LOCKED BEHIND A PAYWALL!
Worth noting on the proxy point, @rattler2, is that in the UK it's illegal to buy alcohol on behalf of a minor. If a child's parents allow them the occasional drink at home, that's different, but an adult caught buying alcohol for a child can face prosecution for it.
Still, in an online environment, it is impossible to absolutely verify a person's age. You can't even verify it through the customer's bank account, because a minor can just use their parents' account, so a query (even if it were legal under data protection laws) would show the parents' age, not the child actually buying the keys.
I wonder if there is a way to have a loot box that isn't designed to trigger the addictive centers of the brain, which cause people to compulsively open them. That way, both sides would essentially be happy.
I have no idea. I don't see how lockboxes are addictive in the first place. The moment you open one and don't get the result you want, the "addiction" should be immediately broken as you go into problem-solving mode to figure out how to prevent that from occurring. At that point the only thing you'd be deriving out of it is frustration as the problem continues to go unsolved.
I don't see how they are addictive either but we just don't have that type of personality I guess. Maybe some of the big spenders around here can explain what compels to open hundreds of lock boxes and why they can't stop until they have blown an entire months worth of living expenses and potentially more on something where the odds only favor the company taking your money.
Honestly? The "risk" of gambling addiction is overstated because people want attention while standing on their soap box.
you're all going into the 'gambling' aspect, but it wasn't a problem until the lootboxes became visibly profitable. consider the organizations involved, and it's possible this whole thing is a Regulatory shakedown seeking to impose (or justify imposing) a fine structure as a means of tapping the revenue from the activity.
Politicians are involved, waving money is like chumming the water near a shark.
and some manner of age verification field during a games account creation.
Again... HOW do you verify age online? I admit I'm 31. But you can't prove that. You can't card me. For all you know I might actually be a very articulate 12 year old.
That's the main issue with throwing around the idea of age verification with the internet. Someone suggested going to a post office? LOL! Ever heard of a proxy? If they wanted to they can just ask someone who's old enough to go in and do it for them! Kinda like how some high schoolers get around the legal drinking age here in the US by having someone older, who can legally buy alcohol, go in and buy it. They aren't buying it themselves. So TECHNICALLY it was a legal purchase.
And using a webcam to verify age? Some people actually look younger than they actually are. I get that all the time. Back in my 20s, and still a little bit now, I get people thinking I'm around 18 or so.
It would require Big Brother. Retinal scanners, fingerprint scanners, and facial recognition software are all methods of verifying someone's age since knowing a person's identity tell them their age. Lots of websites let you login through your Facebook or Google account so requiring someone to login to Facebook or Google through some unique physical characteristic like fingerprints would provide age verification and make the world into 1984.
you're all going into the 'gambling' aspect, but it wasn't a problem until the lootboxes became visibly profitable. consider the organizations involved, and it's possible this whole thing is a Regulatory shakedown seeking to impose (or justify imposing) a fine structure as a means of tapping the revenue from the activity.
I haven't seen anything saying governments and regulatory agencies want to tap loot boxes for revenue or taxation. They are looking at banning them in their respective nations, states, etc. A ban on something doesn't help any level of government collect more taxes.
and some manner of age verification field during a games account creation.
Again... HOW do you verify age online? I admit I'm 31. But you can't prove that. You can't card me. For all you know I might actually be a very articulate 12 year old.
Well, all that would need to be done is to show that the gaming company took reasonable steps to verify your age. The burden for that can vary from "Hey, he got a credit card, he must be old enough" over "He clicked the form that states he's age 18 or older", or you might need to plug in an USB device that scans your government issued ID card* and securely transmits confirmation that you are who you are and thus as old as you are supposed to be, or you get some code-number that you have to fill in a form at a post office and the post office worker verifies your age with some photo id*.
There are plenty of possibilities, and "you can't card me" is not actually true.
*) Sucks to be a US American, I guess.
*) Sucks to be a US American without a driver's license?
EDITFAIL
Post edited by mustrumridcully0 on
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
and some manner of age verification field during a games account creation.
Again... HOW do you verify age online? I admit I'm 31. But you can't prove that. You can't card me. For all you know I might actually be a very articulate 12 year old.
/quote]
Well, all that would need to be done is to show that the gaming company took reasonable steps to verify your age. The burden for that can vary from "Hey, he got a credit card, he must be old enough" over "He clicked the form that states he's age 18 or older", or you might need to plug in an USB device that scans your government issued ID card* and securely transmits confirmation that you are who you are and thus as old as you are supposed to be, or you get some code-number that you have to fill in a form at a post office and the post office worker verifies your age with some photo id*.
There are plenty of possibilities, and "you can't card me" is not actually true.
*) Sucks to be a US American, I guess.
*) Sucks to be a US American without a driver's license?
You can add British National to that 'sucks to be...' List. There have been numerous proposals for Government-issued ID cards, but none have ever even reached Parliament (it evokes collective memory of the ID passes of the Second World War and typical British suspicion of Government). In fact, the only country I know of where the Government issues ID on a national scale for all citizens is Thailand, and I think France has a national ID card, but it's voluntary.
Comments
This is why I'm fine with adults using loot boxes, however children absolutely should not be able to because they don't have the maturity necessary to make those decisions.
Way too many variables, and again... can't verify.
So far the only real solution is what STO is already doing. Stuff that isn't required, which reinforces the desire to open boxes to stay competative, and not able to be sold for real world money.
Frankly... EA frakked up with their greed, now everyone's having problems in one form or another.
My character Tsin'xing
So basically... you didn't get an answer.
But even if the parents are in charge of the credit card in theory -if it's commonly used in a household, like for just buying groceries, the children might be able to use them. And you can spend what, 800 $ or so just within a month for STO, and that would already rip a hole in some family's account. Normally the kid might act perfectly reasonable with the money it has available to it and know better to spend it on nonsense, and thus the parent's trust is reasonably and warranted. But gambling easily makes you often unable to
- realize how much you are spending
- stop early because the next time you could win really big!
The fundamental aspect why we control gambling is that it overturns our "normal" sensibilities and gets us to behave irresponsible. It's kinda like alcohol - no matter the age, you don't start acting smart when drunk. We just assume that a certain age you might realize when you stop, or not to start at all, and if you don't, that is your flaw. But with children, we don't assume they are capable fo that yet.
So why is it Cryptic's (or any other game publisher's) job to make sure that some minor isn't lying to his/her parents and misusing available resources? Where are the parents in this scenario? Is this one of those weird tween shows on Disney XD where a group of ten-to-twelve-year-olds are living in a luxury apartment making videos while parents are apparently nonexistent?
There are certain things that even parents can't legally permit their children to do, and one of those things is gambling. However if a minor walks into a casino it is the responsibility of the staff, not the parent, to ensure that the minor does not use a slot machine. That's why when, as a minor, my family took a vacation to Vegas I had strict rules I had to follow, the biggest one being that when entering any hotel I had to walk directly from the door to either the restaurant or the elevator without stopping. Any pause would result in security walking over to hurry me along, because if I put even a penny into a machine the hotel would be liable regardless of where I got that penny from.
I don't care if it's allowance on a reloadable card, a birthday gift card, or theft of a parent's credit card, the burden should be on the game company to ensure underage players don't participate in gambling systems, which is why I said earlier that a firm age restriction would effectively be an outright ban.
In a casino or bar, you present ID, which they check against your appearance (and also check for obvious flaws - in Washington state, your ID is embossed with multiple holographic state seals, so they know any ID without that is fake). It's not like they can take a DNA sample and check your telomere length against a standardized database.
Online, that takes the form of standard verifications - the same ones used to prove your credit or debit card isn't stolen, or the number simply copied without other verification data (the confirmation code number on the back, for instance, or sometimes personal data which the user has registered for the purpose). Two-factor authentication for online purchases is in its relative infancy, so is not yet required - but it's not the fault of an online business if someone presents data indicating that they are of a certain age, or indeed are even a certain person, falsely. Requiring an online business to verify identity in the same fashion as a physical location does is, in essence, requiring all online businesses to close, as this is not possible.
Which leaves the concept of lockbox regulation in a bad place. The basic concept relies on "big brother" watching everything you do or the laws are effectively unenforceable. That or arbitrary bans that affect everyone, even those people who you have no reason to regulate.
My character Tsin'xing
The due diligence that can be performed by a sales location would include such things as age questions and verification of financial instruments used. As for the hypothetical about some kid spending gift money given him on a prepaid card, why is it the sales company's responsibility to ensure that the kid's money isn't "wasted", and not the kid's or the parents'? Is "personal responsibility" not a thing in Europe?
Of course "Personal Responsibility" is also a thing in Europe. But often not for children, and it doesn't mean that the parents are automatically liable, either. The parents aren't offering gambling services to the children. You have to show that they were negligent in their supervision of their child if they are supposed to be "responsible" for it in any way. What is sufficient supervision will depend on the age and maturity of the child, as well as the circumstances.
But anyway, there is no European regulation on this topic yet. We are arguing hypotheticals.
Who is to say that if Europe as a whole creates "anti-lockbox" regulation, that an explicit an age check wouldn't be enough to satisfy the regulation? But maybe it will require more, like an online identification mechanism (such exist for banking and postal services already and do not require more than a government licensed ID and either a webcam or a visit to the nearest post office.)
I seriously doubt we will ever see the loot boxes ever fully disappear from gaming.
I don't see how they are addictive either but we just don't have that type of personality I guess. Maybe some of the big spenders around here can explain what compels to open hundreds of lock boxes and why they can't stop until they have blown an entire months worth of living expenses and potentially more on something where the odds only favor the company taking your money.
Again... HOW do you verify age online? I admit I'm 31. But you can't prove that. You can't card me. For all you know I might actually be a very articulate 12 year old.
That's the main issue with throwing around the idea of age verification with the internet. Someone suggested going to a post office? LOL! Ever heard of a proxy? If they wanted to they can just ask someone who's old enough to go in and do it for them! Kinda like how some high schoolers get around the legal drinking age here in the US by having someone older, who can legally buy alcohol, go in and buy it. They aren't buying it themselves. So TECHNICALLY it was a legal purchase.
And using a webcam to verify age? Some people actually look younger than they actually are. I get that all the time. Back in my 20s, and still a little bit now, I get people thinking I'm around 18 or so.
You see the problem? Even if it was just using one single nation's laws... people either lie or work around it. The only real way to keep things from getting out of hand... is to not put anything required to stay competative in the box in the first place.
STO does that already. Everything in our lockbox is not required. Its nice to have, but you don't NEED it. EA frakked up in that regard, hence why this is an issue in the first place. They got so greedy they decided to put items in their lockboxes for Battlefront 2 that you NEED to have to stay competative. Oh sure you could grind it out... if you LIVED in the game for god knows how long. It was a system tailor made to PUSH people into spending money on the boxes, which only offers a CHANCE. Kinda like how TOR's F2P model doesn't even allow a pure F2P player to have BANK ACCESS without giving their EA Overlords $5. A BANK! A BASIC SERVICE FOR ANY MMO! LOCKED BEHIND A PAYWALL!
Still, in an online environment, it is impossible to absolutely verify a person's age. You can't even verify it through the customer's bank account, because a minor can just use their parents' account, so a query (even if it were legal under data protection laws) would show the parents' age, not the child actually buying the keys.
Trials of Blood and Fire
Moving On Parts 1-3 - Part 4
In Cold Blood
My character Tsin'xing
My character Tsin'xing
It would require Big Brother. Retinal scanners, fingerprint scanners, and facial recognition software are all methods of verifying someone's age since knowing a person's identity tell them their age. Lots of websites let you login through your Facebook or Google account so requiring someone to login to Facebook or Google through some unique physical characteristic like fingerprints would provide age verification and make the world into 1984.
When has anyone ever had to directly pay for mass surveillance? Governments always give it for 'free' for 'our own good'.
I haven't seen anything saying governments and regulatory agencies want to tap loot boxes for revenue or taxation. They are looking at banning them in their respective nations, states, etc. A ban on something doesn't help any level of government collect more taxes.
There are plenty of possibilities, and "you can't card me" is not actually true.
*) Sucks to be a US American, I guess.
*) Sucks to be a US American without a driver's license?
EDITFAIL
Trials of Blood and Fire
Moving On Parts 1-3 - Part 4
In Cold Blood