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UPDATED: Belgium investigating loot boxes as gambling, will seek to have them banned in Europe
- Thread starter Deleted member 1378
- Start date
1) Psychological Manipulation. Lootboxes have a large capability to manipulate people in a way that card packs cannot. The animations played when opening them, the ability to dispense a few of them for free to whet the appetite. This is very similar to casinos and how they have all the bright lights and flashing colors while also offering free drinks to anyone thats playing.
2) Resale value. MTG packs have resellable goods. lootboxes do not.
3) Accessibility. Accessibility breeds addiction, and lootboxes are the most accessible form of gambling there is. MTG card packs require you to go to the store, buy some shit (or go online and wait for deliver), open them at non digital pace. Its all enough to get an addicts brain to slow down and realize whats happening.
At face value there isn't much difference between the two, but we shouldn't be taking these things at face value.
Theoretically, there's nothing stopping governments from banning the sale of loot boxes directly or indirectly. They could classify "lootboxes as free gifts" with other purchases as illegal as well.
Again, that's if they wanted to. I doubt they will though.
Can't speak for everyone else, but looking back, I didn't mind direct sale microtransactions. At least you got exactly what you wanted.
I'd say this is bad.. sorry... Say goodbye to free updates to maps, characters, skins ect. Say hello to split communities from expansions and map packs instead.
Do you play games with loot boxes? Do you enjoy importing games? Otherwise probably not a win for you.
Again, free to play should be fine. Plus, valve offers transferable ownership I believe- that should also let them off the hook somewhat.
I've never actually bought one but from how negative people have been it'll be good to see them go.
I don't really think this will be the end of anything though, if developers/publishers are using them then they're doing it because it makes them money and if it makes them money then they'll surely just transfer those costs to somewhere else in the game.
I don't really think this will be the end of anything though, if developers/publishers are using them then they're doing it because it makes them money and if it makes them money then they'll surely just transfer those costs to somewhere else in the game.
If they get traction to ban these types of things you'll see a full collapse of the free to play market and both higher prices and lower output from all paid software studios going forward as well.
This defines why you don't want to mix government with gaming. Unilateral banning of in game purchases will go far beyond what a loot box is.
And even if it were scaled back to that, that would be a good thing, especially to tell Blizzard to get to fuck http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...nas-loot-box-laws-by-selling-in-game-currency
So what you're saying is if casinos give free trinkets to people that lose then it's no longer gambling. Ain't that convenient?
Next will be paying to get to the front of the line so you can have a turn playing a game.
Since the line will disappear in four hours, twelve minutes, and twenty-six seconds - or instantly, if you pay - you never actually get to the front of the line.
Thus you are paying for a service that is never delivered. Open and shut case!
Since the line will disappear in four hours, twelve minutes, and twenty-six seconds - or instantly, if you pay - you never actually get to the front of the line.
Thus you are paying for a service that is never delivered. Open and shut case!
Then you could easily just change Gambling as in "You get 10 cents each time you spin a roulette."
Trading card industry has been "regulated" for a long time
The gaming industry has brought this upon itself. Blizzard being known as the dev who reworked their game to avoid Chinese drop rate regulations as well http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...nas-loot-box-laws-by-selling-in-game-currency
Play with fire and sometimes you get hit harder than might even be required.
More need to see this post, and for some reason it just is not sinking in. Gamers fighting against their better interests as customers, are things that make you go hmmm, beyond your common pragmatism or contrarianism me thinks.
You know, the first time I was in Belgium I was so excited for real Belgium waffles. I asked the restaurant for Belgium waffles, and they had no clue what I was talking about. Apparently, over there, they are just called waffles.
You can get items you already have, which is the same as getting nothing. So no, you aren't guaranteed shit.
Besides, you are more than likely to not get the thing you want. So you keep gambling until you get it.
I'm not sure you're going to like the alternatives.
In China for example, a lot of games just sell VIP subscriptions where you gain an explicit advantage over all players who don't.
Similarly, you can slow progression down to a crawl and sell experience rate boosters.
Or you can just make paid-only weapons that are better.
In China for example, a lot of games just sell VIP subscriptions where you gain an explicit advantage over all players who don't.
Similarly, you can slow progression down to a crawl and sell experience rate boosters.
Or you can just make paid-only weapons that are better.
You guys realize the only reason you get new characters in overwatch is because of loot boxes purchases right?? Lol
What indication do you have that free-to-play games would not be affected? If they are talking, straight-up, "If there is a virtual pack you can buy with real money that has unknown contents at the time of purchase, and that is in particular, dangerous for children" then that not only include free-to-play games, but may hit them earlier and harder because a lot of those target kids or are accessible to that audience. At least stuff like SWBF or CoD can say "well we're rated T or M", whereas PaD is rated E for Everyone.
but it won't change anything. They'll keep doing loot boxes. China outright banned the sale of such things, and what did Blizzard do? Adapt. You say Blizzard got fucked, but in reality they stabbed at it in another different way and are probably still reaping the profits.
Get FUCKED EA
I seriously hope this gains traction in other places, like THE U.S for example. Seriously, fuck lootboxes, they can just sell the skins/items directly instead of making people buy fake currency, and then have to rely on bullshit RNG.
BEAUTIFUL POST since people STILL try to compare lootboxes to trading cards.
I seriously hope this gains traction in other places, like THE U.S for example. Seriously, fuck lootboxes, they can just sell the skins/items directly instead of making people buy fake currency, and then have to rely on bullshit RNG.
Trading card industry has been "regulated" for a long time
The gaming industry has brought this upon itself. Blizzard being known as the dev who reworked their game to avoid Chinese drop rate regulations as well http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...nas-loot-box-laws-by-selling-in-game-currency
Play with fire and sometimes you get hit harder than might even be required.
BEAUTIFUL POST since people STILL try to compare lootboxes to trading cards.
Regulation =/= outright ban.
Belgium is being heavy handed.
I don't think it's that big. Many roadstops ahead of a process like this, if it could ever come to pass.
Plus you have to accept that companies will do everything in their power, from the political to pr, to just re-branding or finding new worse ways to monetize their games. The one actual win I can think of is the general public association between gambling and the concept of a "loot box" will probably become more mainstream, so for a lot of games it will be pr poison just to be related to that mess. In terms of the actual games or big publishers pulling their usual shit, I don't think it will change much.
Easy, don't hide skins behind boxes, just give them to the players instead of the boxes and let them sell/buy/interchange them.
If they give bigger free trinkets instead of cash to people that "win", yes.
Any publisher that tries to make a game literally pay to win will see their community wither and die.
I guess this means that Blizzard (ACTIVISION!!!) will have to do the same thing in Europe as they did in China.
After all, what a better way to work around the idea of lootboxes, but to also give players the option to buy In-Game currency alongside with lootboxes? At least there, you can argue how it isn't gambling in comparison to other games (even though it is still luck of the draw in regards of what lootboxes drops, thus still gambling in that regards).
Still, if this helps to stop the future of lootboxes from growing out of control, let's hope it spreads.
After all, what a better way to work around the idea of lootboxes, but to also give players the option to buy In-Game currency alongside with lootboxes? At least there, you can argue how it isn't gambling in comparison to other games (even though it is still luck of the draw in regards of what lootboxes drops, thus still gambling in that regards).
Still, if this helps to stop the future of lootboxes from growing out of control, let's hope it spreads.
HECK YEAH! THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT!
Card packs have the odds stated somewhere on the packaging and you can at least trade the card or sell it, it's a physical item of value.
Loot boxes have no odds stated anywhere and their items are not physical and cannot be traded nor can they be sold from player to player(usually).
Card packs have the odds stated somewhere on the packaging and you can at least trade the card or sell it, it's a physical item of value.
Loot boxes have no odds stated anywhere and their items are not physical and cannot be traded nor can they be sold from player to player(usually).