Governments do not like loot boxes!

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Sonicx9
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Governments do not like loot boxes!

Postby Sonicx9 » February 15th, 2018, 6:06 pm

http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/201 ... y-senator/

This will make people like the critic happy considering he hates loot boxes. What are your guys thoughts on this article?

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VideoGameCritic
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Re: Governments do not like loot boxes!

Postby VideoGameCritic » February 15th, 2018, 6:16 pm

This is one of the consequences of online gaming. Companies have turned "pay to play" into "gamble to win".
Greed conquers all.

ESauce
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Re: Governments do not like loot boxes!

Postby ESauce » February 15th, 2018, 6:17 pm

I always found it ridiculous when politicians made a big deal of video game violence, but I’m totally on board with this. The only thing that separates loot boxes from gambling is you actually have a chance of benefiting from gambling. I’ve never bought a loot box and have no intention to but I think they’re a predatory practice that needs not just be legislated, but outlawed.

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Atarifever
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Re: Governments do not like loot boxes!

Postby Atarifever » February 15th, 2018, 6:52 pm

Not to get into too political a discussion, but I am not a fan of loot boxes, but am less of a fan of government handling something that should be left to parents and markets. It was not the law that removed loot boxes from Star Wars Battlefront; it was the market. It is not really the law that keeps parents from setting their kids up on Poker Stars under the parents' credit cards, it is common sense. There is absolutely no need for government intervention here, and you have to ask once this door is open, how long before it is also fine to start policing other kinds of in game content?

newmodelarmy
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Re: Governments do not like loot boxes!

Postby newmodelarmy » February 15th, 2018, 7:37 pm

VideoGameCritic wrote:This is one of the consequences of online gaming. Companies have turned "pay to play" into "gamble to win".
Greed conquers all.



You know game companies actually have to make MONEY to stay in business. I think this is the consequence of hefty development costs. While watching the credits after I beat Wayforward's Shantae 1/2 Genie Hero there was literally hundreds of people listed. All I could think of is how the heck does this company make money????

Sonicx9
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Re: Governments do not like loot boxes!

Postby Sonicx9 » February 15th, 2018, 7:58 pm

VideoGameCritic wrote:This is one of the consequences of online gaming. Companies have turned "pay to play" into "gamble to win".
Greed conquers all.


100% True!

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velcrozombie
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Re: Governments do not like loot boxes!

Postby velcrozombie » February 15th, 2018, 8:10 pm

I'm fine with loot boxes if the effects are purely cosmetic, ala Overwatch and Team Fortress 2 - it's fun for players and the studio makes more money in a time when it's not easy to make a profit on a big-budget game. I could even see a place for loot boxes that have better weapons/gear if there was a special type of "anything goes" multiplayer mode that would be the only place the pay-to-play stuff could be used, away from the general population. Pay-to-play in the context of normal multiplayer modes is a terribly unfair, though.

newmodelarmy wrote:You know game companies actually have to make MONEY to stay in business. I think this is the consequence of hefty development costs. While watching the credits after I beat Wayforward's Shantae 1/2 Genie Hero there was literally hundreds of people listed. All I could think of is how the heck does this company make money????


1/2 Genie Hero was a Kickstarter game, although a publisher agreed to foot roughly half the bill if Wayforward could meet a certain threshold of funding - one reason I'm in favor of Kickstarter in spite of the occasional Mighty No.9-style disaster.

ESauce
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Re: Governments do not like loot boxes!

Postby ESauce » February 15th, 2018, 11:55 pm

Atarifever wrote:Not to get into too political a discussion, but I am not a fan of loot boxes, but am less of a fan of government handling something that should be left to parents and markets. It was not the law that removed loot boxes from Star Wars Battlefront; it was the market. It is not really the law that keeps parents from setting their kids up on Poker Stars under the parents' credit cards, it is common sense. There is absolutely no need for government intervention here, and you have to ask once this door is open, how long before it is also fine to start policing other kinds of in game content?


Some bad publicity may have set EA back a bit but it in no way stopped them. They’re just waiting out the storm before they reintroduce them. Plenty of games with micro transactions ruin the game and people are actually addicted to them, which is not just bad for that person but also bad for everyone who has the game ruined by microtransactions. This isn’t going to have a happy ending where the market says no and games are saved; microtransactions have already penetrated the biggest franchises and will continue to be pervasive.

Companies intentionally develop their games to be addictive and at some point someone needs to step in and say that’s wrong.

Sonicx9
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Re: Governments do not like loot boxes!

Postby Sonicx9 » February 16th, 2018, 4:10 pm

Update: Unfortunately a Report says that Most People Seem to be Okay With Microtransactions: http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/201 ... C3Sldcv.99 This is not good news for the critic and others!

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VideoGameCritic
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Re: Governments do not like loot boxes!

Postby VideoGameCritic » February 16th, 2018, 5:25 pm

First of all, trusting just about any poll is a mistake. Next, the poll was of "tech influencers" of the game industry who have an clear agenda. I don't believe these results for a second.


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