Being predatory isn't about gating later advancement, that's actually less of a problem in my eyes, that's just a different form of DLC. What makes some games

Being predatory isn't about gating later advancement, that's actually less of a problem in my eyes, that's just a different form of DLC. What makes some games predatory is when when combine payments with randomness as to what benefit you get. That's why people are calling it gbling, because it uses the same mechanisms and is using all the lessons learned from casinos as to how to effectively maximize engagement and income. The difference? Gambling is often regulated so there's specific payout percentages. Because there's not a direct monetary payout but instead a decoupled game benefit, it's not regulated the same way, so they're free to do whatever they want with the payouts (including valuing all the items however they want if they are called on to), as well as market to children who may not recognize the system for what it is.