The difference is how they manipulate you psychologically to not realize how much you're spending. You can't just buy the thing, you need to buy a particular cu

The difference is how they manipulate you psychologically to not realize how much you're spending. You can't just buy the thing, you need to buy a particular currency, and possibly do some in-game work, and also gamble with loot boxes where you're not very aware of the odds. By the time you realize the thing you wanted was actually $600 (which you wouldn't have spent upfront) but you've already spent $500 without getting it, it feels unavoidable to go and spend another hundred. And then the cycle happens again and again, making you feel very much like you have a sickness. Many people can effectively avoid all of this and be very happy not spending a dime and not feel any pressure at all, but the problem is the large, very large, sometimes underage, base of vulnerable people who are spending money they can't really afford on these games.