5 ms·

They raise a valid point with a needlessly sensationalist title - but it does feel like a natural (d)evolution of the gaming industry. This is what happens when

They raise a valid point with a needlessly sensationalist title - but it does feel like a natural (d)evolution of the gaming industry. This is what happens when a studio becomes successful, hires a lot of people, then tries its hardest to maximize profits. The real solution here is that parents need to educate themselves on how to lock down permissions on game purchases and manage their children's playtime/addiction levels. Government regulation is not a good substitute for parenting. Remember, as a consumer, you can still support games that don't employ these tactics! Personally, I have way more fun playing Rimworld, Factorio, etc.

rowanG077 7y ago
Are you saying the same thing about casinos? That children should be able to go to casinos? And the parents should just make sure their children don't actually go to the casino? That sounds wholly crazy to me. Loot box mechanics should automatically result in a mature rating for the game.
- charliesharding 7y ago
  It's not that I don't think it's a problem, it's that I think regulation isn't a good solution. Game companies would just find a way to circumvent the system. What if loot boxes could be bought with in-game credits? What if you could buy short term in-game credit boosters for real money? The regulation route, if continuously followed to address the problem, would end up with all games being rated 'M', or being subject to high regulations/restrictions which would affect anyone who wants to enjoy them. After all, games themselves are designed to short circuit your brains reward system to give you hits of dopamine. The root of the problem is that kids aren't always capable of understanding these complex issues, and it should be up to their parents to inform and constrain how their kids enjoy games.
  - falcolas 7y ago
    If the companies are already doing bad things, arguing "let's not regulate it because they might do bad things" doesn't help the situation at all. It's not just kids. It's also adults, many of whom have an addiction issue with gambling. Parents becoming experts on gaming and microtransactions won't solve the issue. Given that the industry refuses to self regulate, and they aren't reliant on rational consumers to the point where actions that rational consumers make would matter, what is the next solution that isn't regulation?
  - rowanG077 7y ago
    I don't have a problem with all games containing even the hint of loot boxes getting the mature rating. The regulations should be just as strict as for casinos. If a game company wants to run a casino along with their game then it's their right but then don't expect to be treated differently.
    - charliesharding 7y ago
      In that case - any game that has purchasable content would be rated 'M' and it isn't a far leap to just say that every game should be rated 'M' because of the potential for addiction. What about candy and soda? Sugar is also addictive
      - rowanG077 7y ago
        Loot boxes and in game purchases aren't the same thing.
  - rtkwe 7y ago
    The big issue right now is even if parents wanted to it's hard to impossible to completely lock an account of out spending money buying these short of removing all payment features from the account.
falcolas 7y ago
Why do you believe that the default should be "allow gambling" with only the option to opt out, with a different method of opting out with every singe platform. Imagine if that were our default computer security stance. "Let the websites do whatever they want; it's up to the users to educate themselves and limit what websites can do."
IfOnlyYouKnew 7y ago
> Government regulation is not a good substitute for parenting. I don't get this attitude. You seem to agree that loot boxes are a rather stupid idea born out of oversized companies using psychological tricks to make money. Given that, there is simply no cost to the government banning this practice. Requiring, instead, every single parent to learn about the myriad ways companies may come up with to exploit their children seems wasteful at best. But of course not every single parent would be able to avoid every single trap, so this stance really is just about accepting some number of people to be the pray of corporations. This sort of argument is surprisingly common: toxic food additives, usury credit card or insurance rates ... literally any scam ever invented: you'll find people arguing it's the victims' fault for not being experts in toxicology or investment.

rowanG077 7y ago

Are you saying the same thing about casinos? That children should be able to go to casinos? And the parents should just make sure their children don't actually go to the casino? That sounds wholly crazy to me. Loot box mechanics should automatically result in a mature rating for the game.

charliesharding 7y ago
It's not that I don't think it's a problem, it's that I think regulation isn't a good solution. Game companies would just find a way to circumvent the system. What if loot boxes could be bought with in-game credits? What if you could buy short term in-game credit boosters for real money? The regulation route, if continuously followed to address the problem, would end up with all games being rated 'M', or being subject to high regulations/restrictions which would affect anyone who wants to enjoy them. After all, games themselves are designed to short circuit your brains reward system to give you hits of dopamine. The root of the problem is that kids aren't always capable of understanding these complex issues, and it should be up to their parents to inform and constrain how their kids enjoy games.
- falcolas 7y ago
  If the companies are already doing bad things, arguing "let's not regulate it because they might do bad things" doesn't help the situation at all. It's not just kids. It's also adults, many of whom have an addiction issue with gambling. Parents becoming experts on gaming and microtransactions won't solve the issue. Given that the industry refuses to self regulate, and they aren't reliant on rational consumers to the point where actions that rational consumers make would matter, what is the next solution that isn't regulation?
- rowanG077 7y ago
  I don't have a problem with all games containing even the hint of loot boxes getting the mature rating. The regulations should be just as strict as for casinos. If a game company wants to run a casino along with their game then it's their right but then don't expect to be treated differently.
  - charliesharding 7y ago
    In that case - any game that has purchasable content would be rated 'M' and it isn't a far leap to just say that every game should be rated 'M' because of the potential for addiction. What about candy and soda? Sugar is also addictive
    - rowanG077 7y ago
      Loot boxes and in game purchases aren't the same thing.
- rtkwe 7y ago
  The big issue right now is even if parents wanted to it's hard to impossible to completely lock an account of out spending money buying these short of removing all payment features from the account.

falcolas 7y ago

Why do you believe that the default should be "allow gambling" with only the option to opt out, with a different method of opting out with every singe platform. Imagine if that were our default computer security stance. "Let the websites do whatever they want; it's up to the users to educate themselves and limit what websites can do."

IfOnlyYouKnew 7y ago

> Government regulation is not a good substitute for parenting. I don't get this attitude. You seem to agree that loot boxes are a rather stupid idea born out of oversized companies using psychological tricks to make money. Given that, there is simply no cost to the government banning this practice. Requiring, instead, every single parent to learn about the myriad ways companies may come up with to exploit their children seems wasteful at best. But of course not every single parent would be able to avoid every single trap, so this stance really is just about accepting some number of people to be the pray of corporations. This sort of argument is surprisingly common: toxic food additives, usury credit card or insurance rates ... literally any scam ever invented: you'll find people arguing it's the victims' fault for not being experts in toxicology or investment.