gaming Loot Boxes = Gambling?

[Denim&Venöm 19,198]

Pretty recently, games like Shadow Of War and Star Wars Battlefront 2 have been released with what can be described as having loot boxes as core mechanics, in that it's very difficult to proceed with out them and that you'll need to fork over extra cash to get anywhere at a reasonable pace. While the level that loot boxes have been ingrained is taking players back, the existence of loot boxes and other random upgrade and item generators are nothing new, and if anything are now more prevalent than ever. 

But have companies already crossed an ethical and legal line? Are loot boxes a new form of gambling? Well you are wagering money on a chance, and that chance could turn out to be rare items and game changing bonuses, or just common fodder not worth half of what you paid.  

Various ratings boards such as the ESRB and PEGI have weighted in, and have deemed loot boxes not to be gambling, due to the fact that despite how little the worth of what you received in a loot box might be, you're still received an item of value, whereas in gambling you'd get nothing. They akin it to opening a pack of cards and getting a bunch of commons. 

However, Players argue that loot boxes do copy enough traits of gambling to be taken under consideration, and can lead to addictive behaviors and loss of money for the gaming industries key demographics: Children And Teens. 

Thus for gamers in the United Kingdom, a petition has been started for the issue of loot boxes to be addressed. 10,000 signatures gets a government response. 1000,000 and the issue is ruled on by parliament. The petition stands at almost 13,000.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/201300

 

So what do you think? Are loot boxes a new medium for gambling and should be kept away from minors, or is it as the ratings boards say and just akin to opening a pack of trading cards and just being more careful with your money? 

 

Edited October 17, 2017 by Denim&Venom

[Angle Alastor 3,805]

I think it’s the worst thing in video games I miss ware it was just dlc...like maps and guns for example : cod ghosts, it had maps....and guns! As dlc not in loot crates...it’s just a big mess.

[KrazyDashie 1,847]

yeah I agree, its pretty much gambling. where the company benefits from the player's misfortune, and earns more when they get desperate.  

though im not sure if its going to go away anytime soon... since you know, when most companies finds away to make loads of money, they will try everything to keep it

[Concerned Bystander 2,903]

Regardless of the relative in-game worth of the item, it is essentially a collection of bits with no intrinsic value.  You are paying a flat rate for this collection of bits no matter what it turns out to be, if you happen to get the lower end item then you are not losing anything, you are still getting what you paid for.  I would be loath to call this gambling, but it is certainly cynical marketing.  The whole microtransaction and DLC model that gaming is rapidly moving towards is definitely the worst thing that has happened to the industry as far back as I recall.

On 10/17/2017 at 8:17 PM, Denim&Venom said:

Thus for gamers in the United Kingdom, a petition has been started for the issue of loot boxes to be addressed. 10,000 signatures gets a government response. 1000,000 and the issue is ruled on by parliament.

Just a minor correction.  at 100,000 signatures the subject of the petition must be considered for debate in parliament, but the result of a parliamentary debate does not constitute a ruling, and does not obligate parliament to legislate the matter, however, it may potentially lead to the proposal of a bill to do so.

Edited October 18, 2017 by Concerned Bystander

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,689]

At this point, I think it should be considered gambling. The very fact that you have to throw money at the screen for a random output put's it in that category. I have heard some people defend it in that, you are always getting something therefore it isn't true gambling, but considering you have no idea what you are getting and some games now actively WANT you to buy, it really crosses the line at this point. Game publishers are a disgrace these days.

What I find strange is how nobody noticed how bad this stuff is until now. Call of Duty has been doing this for 3 years, and that series is annual AND has $50 season pass every year. They also started locking weapons behind these crates in 2015 with Black Ops 3, and the weapons have an unbelievably low drop rate. To me, Activision was a planter of the plague seeds.