Second Life Bans Loot Box (Gacha) Mechanics Going Forward

Second Life, the classic socializing game, will be taking a step toward a better ecosystem as they ban the use of Gacha mechanics on the platform.

Developers Linden Lab recently posted on the official blog, announcing a 30-day warning that gacha mechanics will not be allowed on the platform and will need to be removed. Any content creators intending to monetize the platform will need to re-format their content to adhere to the new policy by August 31, 2021.

We know that creators plan their content releases far in advance and will need to re-tool their products, so to mitigate the impact to those affected, we are giving a 30-day grace period, until midnight SLT on August 31. After that time, selling content via gacha machines will no longer be permitted in Second Life.

They expand on this to reveal that its not that immediate. For 30 days after that, they will be issuing a warning to all creators that break the rule, with full enforcement beginning on September 30.

Just to be sure, what IS a gacha mechanic?

The name refers to gashapon (sometimes spelled gachapon), which is the Japanese equivalent to random prize capsule machines. You know the ones, often seen at the entrance to stores with things like mini figures or sticky hands inside. A gacha mechanic means that the user pays a price, but doesnt know exactly which item they will be receiving. Instead, they receive a randomly dispensed item from a list.

This may be more well known as loot box mechanics. And the controversial nature of these methods have caused a stir with both gaming communities and gambling sectors, alike. The process is even banned in certain countries due to the manipulative nature of their design.

Since Linden Lab cite changing regulatory climate as their main reason for the chance, theyre most likely referring to those countries. Should Second Life not comply to a gacha-free environment, they may be fined, or banned, from these nations.

To be perfectly honest, I wasnt even aware that this was a concern for them. I knew Second Life was still around, and that they have microtransactions for content creators. But I didnt expect them to be tuned in enough to make a decision like this. For the better, in my opinion.