The European Commission has published its proposed Digital Fairness Act, which has the potential to change how video games are monetised - worldwide - forever. A draft of the Act was leaked yesterday and what's been published today appears to be, to my eye, the same, though there's now also a mini-site accompanying it that explores the Act in more detail and uses more understandable language.

And note that while the Digital Fairness Act isn't about video games exclusively - it's much broader than that - it does mention video games specifically, highlighting both their increased importance to society now, and that policy-shaping bodies like the European Commission are prepared to take them seriously.

The Digital Fairness Act is set to become European law, probably sometime between 2028 and 2029, once everyone's discussed it and made whatever amendments they're going to make to it. And at that point, breaching the regulations will come with potentially steep fines (up to six percent of a company's worldwide annual turnover, or up to €2m where an annual turnover isn't available).

The biggest things in the Digital Fairness Act relating to video games are regulations around loot boxes (sometimes referred to as "variable reward systems" or systems with "uncertainty-based rewards") and virtual currencies, particularly with regard to "minors" - anyone under 18 years old.

The Act stipulates paid-for virtual currencies must be disabled in a game by default for minors, then activated by parental and guardian approval, and that paid loot boxes "shall not" be offered to minors at all.

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