3 ms·

You are debating a different aspect of video games. The complaint against loot boxes is not that they prevent video game players from reaching their true produ

by slg 4y ago

You are debating a different aspect of video games. The complaint against loot boxes is not that they prevent video game players from reaching their true productive potential. They don't do that. The problem with loot boxes is that they are exploitative.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
wincy 4y ago
Before loot boxes existed you had Diablo 2, which instead of your money you were trading your time to get the best items. I wasted thousands of hours of my prime years trying to gamble my way to the “perfect build”. World of Warcraft was the same way, only writ large and perfected with raids. I’ve spent literal years of my life playing Blizzard games and hate myself for wasting so much time.
jerf 4y ago
I'm not "debating" anything. I'm pointing out that people have been complaining about video games for a while, and that the loot boxes in particular have amped that debate up. But they did not create it. Video games have been accused of rotting brains (the favored rhetorical formulation of this accusation for whatever reason) for my entire life. I'm pointing to the existing debates as evidence of this.
- slg 4y ago
  "Weed is bad" is not what I am arguing against and therefore a generic "video games are bad" complaint is not equivalent. The question is whether we should care that weed makes you a less productive member of society. Loot boxes have no impact on a gamers level of production so it is an irrelevant argument. Also isn't the "video games rotting people's brain" complaint always laughed at in circles like HN? Is that really the parallel you want to make? Plus people generally only say that in relation to kids. I'm not advocating for kids (or anyone) to use pot. I am saying the personal productivity angle is a weak line of argument and is usually masking some other objection to pot since the same argument is not used in other discussions in which it is equally applicable.

by slg 4y ago

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

wincy 4y ago

Before loot boxes existed you had Diablo 2, which instead of your money you were trading your time to get the best items. I wasted thousands of hours of my prime years trying to gamble my way to the “perfect build”. World of Warcraft was the same way, only writ large and perfected with raids. I’ve spent literal years of my life playing Blizzard games and hate myself for wasting so much time.

jerf 4y ago

I'm not "debating" anything. I'm pointing out that people have been complaining about video games for a while, and that the loot boxes in particular have amped that debate up. But they did not create it. Video games have been accused of rotting brains (the favored rhetorical formulation of this accusation for whatever reason) for my entire life. I'm pointing to the existing debates as evidence of this.

slg 4y ago
"Weed is bad" is not what I am arguing against and therefore a generic "video games are bad" complaint is not equivalent. The question is whether we should care that weed makes you a less productive member of society. Loot boxes have no impact on a gamers level of production so it is an irrelevant argument. Also isn't the "video games rotting people's brain" complaint always laughed at in circles like HN? Is that really the parallel you want to make? Plus people generally only say that in relation to kids. I'm not advocating for kids (or anyone) to use pot. I am saying the personal productivity angle is a weak line of argument and is usually masking some other objection to pot since the same argument is not used in other discussions in which it is equally applicable.