5 ms·

What are loot boxes?

Someone 9y ago
Virtual things without value you buy without knowing what other virtual thing(s) that may have value are stored inside them. For example, you might buy a box that may or may not contain a power-up in a game.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
TheSpiceIsLife 9y ago
Those things in (computer) games which, when opened, offer up a random item or items.
- Yeri 9y ago
  This refers to in-app purchased loot boxes: you pay $x and have a chance to win an epic mount/weapon/bonus/whatever
  - TheSpiceIsLife 9y ago
    Thanks for clarifying
- pbhjpbhj 9y ago
  Random? Are you sure, presumably the algorithm for choosing the item can be anything the dev wants - for example hold back rare items for people more willing to spend to get them. They want to reward you just enough, no more, so as to get the maximum money out of you. Even if they say it's random and "X chance" who's auditing the code to check.
  - madeofpalk 9y ago
    And that's actually kind of half the point.
  - astura 9y ago
    Which kinda is the point, gambling is highly regulated (and highly taxed). The code is required to be audited by state gambling authorities and meet a certain criteria. Basically, the argument is they are running a gambling operation without meeting the gambling regulations.
wiz21c 9y ago
If I'm not mistaken it's in game "boxes" that you can buy. These boxes contains items that may help your progression in the game. The trick is that you don't know what's in the box when you buy it. I didn't read the judgement though. I think it's the progfression thing that is the problem. There are games where you can buy loot boxes but they don't influence your progression, that's just a "surprise", like "Kinder's eggs". Im' fine with that I think it's a good thing because loot boxes are bought by children and they don't realize that it's a game of luck. But at the same time, there are things such as "Panini figures", stickers that you collect that work the same. When you buy a pack of stickers, you don't know what you'll get. And since the aim of the stickers is to fill a stickers' book, well, that's comparable to me... Dunno... Not sure...
- larkeith 9y ago
  Skimming the article, it mentions they banned Overwatch, which has only cosmetic rewards from lootboxes ("skins" which change what your in-game character looks like slightly), so it would seem they're banning even non-progression related lootboxes. Personally, I'm rather happy to see this action being taken; loot boxes are a predatory and frequently deceptive business model.
  - wiz21c 9y ago
    In case the game progression is not affected by the content of the boxes, how is it deceptive (honestly, I have that talk with my kids) ?
    - candiodari 9y ago
      It's not that it's deceptive, it's that it's a game of chance. Which is perfectly OK, as long as you're part of the government mandated monopoly on such games or have a license.
    - larkeith 9y ago
      Frequently, viewing the "contents" of a box (the potential rewards) displays each item in a row, with no indicator of a difference in drop chance except the background colour, despite some items being twenty or so times more likely to be rewarded. If there is text indicating the variable probability, it is usually subdued and easily overlooked. Furthermore, some games silently vary the probability of drops based on prior results (without informing the player), a strategy designed to reinforce the Gambler's Fallacy and ensure users continue to open loot boxes after the first few.

Virtual things without value you buy without knowing what other virtual thing(s) that may have value are stored inside them. For example, you might buy a box that may or may not contain a power-up in a game.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

TheSpiceIsLife 9y ago

Those things in (computer) games which, when opened, offer up a random item or items.

Yeri 9y ago
This refers to in-app purchased loot boxes: you pay $x and have a chance to win an epic mount/weapon/bonus/whatever
- TheSpiceIsLife 9y ago
  Thanks for clarifying
pbhjpbhj 9y ago
Random? Are you sure, presumably the algorithm for choosing the item can be anything the dev wants - for example hold back rare items for people more willing to spend to get them. They want to reward you just enough, no more, so as to get the maximum money out of you. Even if they say it's random and "X chance" who's auditing the code to check.
- madeofpalk 9y ago
  And that's actually kind of half the point.
- astura 9y ago
  Which kinda is the point, gambling is highly regulated (and highly taxed). The code is required to be audited by state gambling authorities and meet a certain criteria. Basically, the argument is they are running a gambling operation without meeting the gambling regulations.

wiz21c 9y ago

If I'm not mistaken it's in game "boxes" that you can buy. These boxes contains items that may help your progression in the game. The trick is that you don't know what's in the box when you buy it. I didn't read the judgement though. I think it's the progfression thing that is the problem. There are games where you can buy loot boxes but they don't influence your progression, that's just a "surprise", like "Kinder's eggs". Im' fine with that I think it's a good thing because loot boxes are bought by children and they don't realize that it's a game of luck. But at the same time, there are things such as "Panini figures", stickers that you collect that work the same. When you buy a pack of stickers, you don't know what you'll get. And since the aim of the stickers is to fill a stickers' book, well, that's comparable to me... Dunno... Not sure...

larkeith 9y ago
Skimming the article, it mentions they banned Overwatch, which has only cosmetic rewards from lootboxes ("skins" which change what your in-game character looks like slightly), so it would seem they're banning even non-progression related lootboxes. Personally, I'm rather happy to see this action being taken; loot boxes are a predatory and frequently deceptive business model.
- wiz21c 9y ago
  In case the game progression is not affected by the content of the boxes, how is it deceptive (honestly, I have that talk with my kids) ?
  - candiodari 9y ago
    It's not that it's deceptive, it's that it's a game of chance. Which is perfectly OK, as long as you're part of the government mandated monopoly on such games or have a license.
  - larkeith 9y ago
    Frequently, viewing the "contents" of a box (the potential rewards) displays each item in a row, with no indicator of a difference in drop chance except the background colour, despite some items being twenty or so times more likely to be rewarded. If there is text indicating the variable probability, it is usually subdued and easily overlooked. Furthermore, some games silently vary the probability of drops based on prior results (without informing the player), a strategy designed to reinforce the Gambler's Fallacy and ensure users continue to open loot boxes after the first few.