The Protecting Children from Abusive Games Act
Senator Hawley’s legislation would apply new consumer protections to games
played by minors including:


Games targeted at those under the age of 18.
o This would be determined by subject matter, visual content, and other
indicators similar to those used to determine applicability of the Children’s
Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)



Games with wider audiences whose developers knowingly allow minor players to
engage in microtransactions

In such games, this bill would prohibit several forms of manipulative design:


Loot Boxes – Microtransactions offering randomized or partially randomized
rewards to players



Pay-to-win - Manipulation of a game’s progression system – typically by building
artificial difficulty or other barriers into game progression – to induce players to
spend money on microtransactions to advance through content supposedly available
to them at no additional cost



Pay-to-win - Manipulation of the competitive balance between players of multiplayer
games by allowing players who purchase microtransactions competitive advantages
over other players

Enforcement


These rules would be enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, which would treat
the distribution of such games by publishers and online distributors as an unfair
trade practice.



State attorneys general would also be empowered to file suit to defend the residents
of their states.