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I liked the loot boxes in Rocket League. I would very occasionally plop in 5 or 10 dollars and see what I got. I was putting a lot of time in to the game, and i

I liked the loot boxes in Rocket League. I would very occasionally plop in 5 or 10 dollars and see what I got. I was putting a lot of time in to the game, and it was a fun way to get new items. People complained. Now they have an entirely new system with “blueprints” and a store and I haven’t spent a single cent. To me, the randomness was part of the fun. I’m not going to spend $12 on a virtual pair of wheels. I’m not sure how much society should be on the hook for people’s bad habits/addictions. If it’s about protecting children, it’s probably better they learn how gambling is a losing game when there isn’t much money on the line rather than when they’re older. For adults with gambling issues it’s hard for me to empathize. How can you not tell how much money you’re losing?

AlexandrB 4y ago
> If it’s about protecting children, it’s probably better they learn how gambling is a losing game when there isn’t much money on the line rather than when they’re older. The same logic could be applied to alcohol consumption, but we still bar kids from buying alcohol. I think treating loot boxes as gambling strikes the right balance where they are not banned in general but also not actively being pushed on 12 year olds. The industry likes to claim that the primary driver of their loot box revenue is wealthy, adult "whales" so I don't see why they would be opposed to being classified as 18+ games - unless they're lying that is.
- hwntw 4y ago
  So you're actually conflating two topics with that first sentence - since this is a topic from the UK government, we don't forbid alcohol consumption amongst children here (over the age of 5), only bar them from buying the alcohol. Given the topic at hand, it might be a bit more challenging to prevent children from buying loot boxes, whilst still allowing them to open them - but there is prior examples of a distinction in legality between the two.
- Auracle 4y ago
  I've heard that binge drinking among teens and young adults is pretty limited to the United States with our high drinking age vs. Europe, so it seems the logic might hold. Perhaps there could be more limited laws where people below 18 can only spend so much per month, and those above could also potentially have a limit.
dncornholio 4y ago
It's a total scam to let people pay for tons of boxes to get the item they want. Plenty of people thinking they might hit the jackpot, spending more than they wanted with the chance of not even getting said item.. It's normal to have a listing of items which you can buy directly. Everything else is just a scam to make you spend more money. Don't fall for it, please.
- Auracle 4y ago
  I never "fell for it." I never had an specific item in mind, and the amount of money I spent was incredibly limited. To me, the random item I received was a fun way to customize my car.
kmnc 4y ago
So you can’t empathize with gambling addicts because you can’t understand how they don’t value the money being lost, yet your entire comment is about how the fun of gambling has nothing to do with value or money? It seems weird to me that people can’t wrap their around the fact that gambling addiction has pretty much nothing to do with money.. yet justify their own “harmless” gambling actions by saying it isn’t about the money. You aren’t that different from the problem gambler, just be glad you don’t fall into the 1% of people who destroy their lives over gambling.
- Auracle 4y ago
  I suppose with all addictions it's a matter of degrees, no? I like to have sex. I like to play videogames. I'm not addicted to either, because that's simply not what I want to do all day. I don't play the lottery or do pulltabs. I've watched people spend literally $500 on pulltabs and maybe get $10 or $20 back. Loot boxes were different to me because I was always getting something and I wasn't looking for something specific. It was a "fun" way to spend $5 a month or whatever on the main videogame I was playing at the time. If it was $5 and 90% of the time I'd get literally nothing, I wouldn't have done it.
ouid 4y ago
Honestly, I think you should be protected from these companies against your will.
- antifa 4y ago
  For me protecting users is secondary, primarily what's important is that the market does not race to the bottom and overflow with literal shitware.

AlexandrB 4y ago

> If it’s about protecting children, it’s probably better they learn how gambling is a losing game when there isn’t much money on the line rather than when they’re older. The same logic could be applied to alcohol consumption, but we still bar kids from buying alcohol. I think treating loot boxes as gambling strikes the right balance where they are not banned in general but also not actively being pushed on 12 year olds. The industry likes to claim that the primary driver of their loot box revenue is wealthy, adult "whales" so I don't see why they would be opposed to being classified as 18+ games - unless they're lying that is.

hwntw 4y ago
So you're actually conflating two topics with that first sentence - since this is a topic from the UK government, we don't forbid alcohol consumption amongst children here (over the age of 5), only bar them from buying the alcohol. Given the topic at hand, it might be a bit more challenging to prevent children from buying loot boxes, whilst still allowing them to open them - but there is prior examples of a distinction in legality between the two.
Auracle 4y ago
I've heard that binge drinking among teens and young adults is pretty limited to the United States with our high drinking age vs. Europe, so it seems the logic might hold. Perhaps there could be more limited laws where people below 18 can only spend so much per month, and those above could also potentially have a limit.

dncornholio 4y ago

It's a total scam to let people pay for tons of boxes to get the item they want. Plenty of people thinking they might hit the jackpot, spending more than they wanted with the chance of not even getting said item.. It's normal to have a listing of items which you can buy directly. Everything else is just a scam to make you spend more money. Don't fall for it, please.

Auracle 4y ago
I never "fell for it." I never had an specific item in mind, and the amount of money I spent was incredibly limited. To me, the random item I received was a fun way to customize my car.

kmnc 4y ago

So you can’t empathize with gambling addicts because you can’t understand how they don’t value the money being lost, yet your entire comment is about how the fun of gambling has nothing to do with value or money? It seems weird to me that people can’t wrap their around the fact that gambling addiction has pretty much nothing to do with money.. yet justify their own “harmless” gambling actions by saying it isn’t about the money. You aren’t that different from the problem gambler, just be glad you don’t fall into the 1% of people who destroy their lives over gambling.

Auracle 4y ago
I suppose with all addictions it's a matter of degrees, no? I like to have sex. I like to play videogames. I'm not addicted to either, because that's simply not what I want to do all day. I don't play the lottery or do pulltabs. I've watched people spend literally $500 on pulltabs and maybe get $10 or $20 back. Loot boxes were different to me because I was always getting something and I wasn't looking for something specific. It was a "fun" way to spend $5 a month or whatever on the main videogame I was playing at the time. If it was $5 and 90% of the time I'd get literally nothing, I wouldn't have done it.

ouid 4y ago

Honestly, I think you should be protected from these companies against your will.

antifa 4y ago
For me protecting users is secondary, primarily what's important is that the market does not race to the bottom and overflow with literal shitware.