4 ms·
These 'mystery boxes' thing are super common in the gaming world. There are many websites in which you can bet money to open a mystery box containing a game, or
by skocznymroczny 8y ago
These 'mystery boxes' thing are super common in the gaming world. There are many websites in which you can bet money to open a mystery box containing a game, or in case of some games a skin for the game's weapons.
The websites themselves are very manipulative. First of all, many offer a "test spin", which usually gives you a very good prize just to lure you in. Secondly, they use popular Youtube personalities to perform "box opening" videos, they get e.g. 30 free box openings. What isn't told, is that it's trivial for the mystery box website to boost the winning chance for the youtuber so that people think "wow, it's so easy, I can win that too". Thirdly, when doing the spin animation, they usually show you that the prized possession you were after was just around the corner, you were very close. Just give it a one more spin, you'll surely get it this time!
- gowld 8y agoBack in the legacy world of arcades and carnivals, Mark Rober did some nice videos about the analog/physic and electronic tricks of scam games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk_ZlWJ3qJI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk_ZlWJ3qJI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXBfwgwT1nQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXBfwgwT1nQ It's quite a problem that all these gambling scams are (to more or lesser extent) regulated in geographic jurisdictions, but Internet-bsaed systems bypass all local sovereignty. How long before the governments step up and demand that all Internet businesses get import licenses and traffic must pass through "customs" at each ISP "port of entry" for their goods and services?
- jasonlotito 8y agoEven CDPR (the darling of the gaming world) isn't above this. GOG (which is part of CDPR) has done this in the past. Give money, and get a random game.
- T-R 8y agoNot just games - toys like Hatchimals and LOL dolls are just loot boxes targeting an even younger demographic, with similar unboxing videos to market them.
- zeusk 8y agoIt was mostly the mobile games at first, then Valve went ham with the idea in their games and now that's the only original content they release.