File photo. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
The NZ Media Council has ruled that RNZ was inaccurate in its details around the ban of loot boxes and did not investigate or publish necessary corrections or clarification after they were advised of the error.
Xiao complained about a story published on RNZ on 18 December, 2024, as an online article titled Programme launched to combat impacts of gambling-like games. The article was based on a Morning Report on-air interview with the Problem Gambling Foundation. The article provided an overview of what loot boxes are and that they blur the lines between gaming and gambling because of their in-game nature. Loot boxes are virtual containers that hold items that can be used in a game. Gamers often must spend real money to buy them, but there is no guarantee they will get the item. The story detailed that a lot of countries around the world have banned loot boxes and in Australia they are restricted.
Xiao says the interviewee made a factual mistake on air that was not corrected, as only Belgium has banned loot boxes. This misled the audience into wrongly believing that New Zealand may be falling behind. The article also stated that many jurisdictions are struggling with the bans. The reference to "many jurisdictions" is also incorrect. Xiao says that how loot boxes are regulated in other countries is an important aspect of the article.
RNZ says that the article focussed on explaining to the public what "loot boxes" are in online gaming and how the foundation views the purchasing of content using real money is a potential problem. RNZ maintains that "bans can take a number of forms and be applied in different ways" and several other countries had banned them "to some extent". Whether it is only one country or a lot of countries that have banned loot boxes is not central to the story. RNZ stands by its response to the original complaint.
The Media Council determined that while it may be reasonable for RNZ to have relied on expert comment in the first instance, once challenged, they had an obligation to promptly investigate and publish any necessary corrections or clarifications. Its explanation on how several other countries were dealing with the issue did not support the statement that "a lot" of countries had banned loot boxes. RNZ should have conducted its own research on the point which would have led to a correction quickly resolving the matter.
The full Media Council ruling can be found here.
