Question: I’m sympathetic to the idea that video games have a more negative effect on our children than most people want to admit, but what does “gambling-like mechanisms” mean?

Answer: Loot boxes. Your question seems to refer to Senate Bill 3024, Senate Draft 2, which a summary of pending legislation, published in Sunday’s Honolulu Star-Advertiser, said would “prohibit anyone under 21 from purchasing video games that contain gambling-like mechanisms.” Broadly speaking, this refers to “loot box” video games, which encourage further financial transactions within the game and award random prizes.

The bill, which you can read at bit.ly/2poOIcg, says that video games and video game content are available for purchase by minors through smartphones, gaming consoles and personal computers. It says video game publishers employ “predatory mechanisms designed to exploit human psychology to compel players to keep spending money in the same way that casino games are designed.”

The bill describes a mechanism similar to a slot machine that allows players to purchase chances to win rewards within a video game. “One common variety of this type of predatory mechanism, known as a loot box, can present the same psychological, addictive, and financial risks as gambling,” according to the bill, which notes that online marketplaces let players buy and sell digital items won from loot boxes, allowing them to effectively cash out their winnings.

The bill cites experts saying that youths and young adults are particularly susceptible to these gamblinglike mechanisms, which can affect cognitive development and lead to addiction. The measure, if approved, would prohibit the sale to people under age 21 of video games that contain “a system of further purchasing, including a randomized reward or a virtual item that can be redeemed to directly or indirectly receive a randomized reward.”

A “randomized reward” means one awarded after a random number of actions by the player.

Q: Do police have to feed the meter? I see their cars taking up parking spots past the time limit.

A: No, not while they are on the job. Per Section 15-4.1(e) of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu, “Police officers of the Honolulu Police Department shall be exempt from payment of fees for parking meters and from time parking restrictions while in the performance of their duty. This exemption shall also apply to employees of the Honolulu Police Department while attending court in their official capacity.”

Q: Will the Lanikai pillbox trail really be closed Easter weekend? That hike is our family tradition.

A: Yes. The popular Kaiwa Ridge hiking trail will be closed for at least 60 calendar days starting March 28, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. Easter is April 1, within the closure period.

The trail and two concrete structures along it are being closed for repairs that include fixing concrete spall and removing and replacing rusted steel-roof supports. New steel flange roof supports will be installed, and roof sealant applied to the pillbox structures to prevent weathering, according to a DLNR news release announcing the impending closure.

Although the World War II-era structures are popularly known as pillboxes, that’s a misnomer. “They were built as observation stations, not as sites for defensive armaments” such as machine guns, the news release said.

Built in 1943 to spot potential enemy ships, the structures remain true to their view-finding roots, providing a vista beloved by tourists and local residents.

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.