2K asks gamers to help repeal Belgium loot box ban...

[Placebo]

Credit to Valken at Guru3d for the thread.

From PC Gamer:

Earlier this week, NBA 2K19 developer 2K asked players to "contact local government" about the Belgian loot box ban. Now, a senior producer at the company has told Trusted Reviews (via PCGamesN) that its games' Virtual Currency "is an unfortunate reality of modern gaming."

https://www.pcgamer.com/microtransactions-are-an-unfortunate-reality-of-modern-gaming-says-2k/

My reply over there:

Loot boxes exist because gamers want them because many (not all of course), modern gamers are lazy entitled cnuts with more money than brains.

I'm an older gamer so I've seen the industry grow from pong clones up, back in the day if you wanted something in a game you really didn't mind grinding to get it because getting something through work was its own reward, modern "kids" are spoiled, lazy and entitled and have no concept of earning something through work and patience, that applies not just to gaming of course but everything else. Generations of bad parenting certainly helped contribute to that of course.

EA make $100m from Fifa's FUT card packs alone, that's a staggering amount of money which shows that it's vast numbers of people buying cards not just a small minority, of course they'll keep prioritising that to the detriment of the rest of the game as other companies are doing as well. FUT is only one example of course as it's the only pertinent game I'm interested in where loot boxes are part of it but the global annual market must be in the billions I'd imagine now?

 

[Gunslinger]

I'm an older gamer too, from the 70s, and I agree with some of what you said. However, I don't think they should be banned. Parents job to regulate this, not the government's.

 

[Placebo]

I'm an older gamer too, from the 70s, and I agree with some of what you said. However, I don't think they should be banned. Parents job to regulate this, not the government's.

How do parents stop impressionable young adults being morons though? https://comicbook.com/gaming/2018/02/06/fifa-18-ultimate-team-microtransaction-addiction/

I think companies and governments have a responsibility to protect people from themselves to some degree, that's why tobacco advertising is banned, that's why alcohol advertising is severely restricted, that's why even junk and sugary foods are now restricted in advertising, gambling and payday loans now etc. etc. Loot boxes 100% need serious protection, I don't think any game that involves real money purchases should be allow a <18 rating for example, and advertising should be severely restricted, even youtube should be behind an age restriction screen for such things, that will make the devs/publishers take a long hard look at what they are and what they do, are they harmless purveyors of entertainment or are they insidious leeches who look to wring out every last cent of their customer base?

 

[Lami]

I'm sorry I can't be nice nor subtle about this.

Fuck microtransactions, the day they were introduced, and whoever introduced them. It is another form of gambling, and its addiction is real.

It breeds nothing but greed, greed, and more greed.

 

[vialli82]

I remember a guy/friend (adult) who were so in when he started to play fifa, buying FUT packs. Don't remember when but it was on PS360 era, Fifa 12/13 or 14 i think.

He spended so much money on this, and i asked him why: he's got nothing to win...
The guy was a regular (good) gambler on web and IRL poker, and practically winning his life with it.

He didn't answered me clearly... But from what i've understand it's about frustration of loosing which pushed him to buy packs + the fact that he was a gambler addict / whatever he wins or not doesn't change the fact.

If you think only kids pay for microtransactions, growing adult too.
Also about parents, with all those smartphone with direct internet access, social network/medias, it become more and more complex than ever, information and misinformation are everywhere.
Still people, not omnipresent/omnisicent gods. Governement needs to prevent and regulate danger whatever it could came from, like @Placebo said, and microtransaction, loot boxes system is not something to neglect in those terms.

 

[Placebo]

I'm sorry I can't be nice nor subtle about this.

Fuck microtransactions, the day they were introduced, and whoever introduced them. It is another form of gambling, and its addiction is real.

It breeds nothing but greed, greed, and more greed.

Agree 100%.

 

[Gunslinger]

How do parents stop impressionable young adults being morons though?

I think companies and governments have a responsibility to protect people from themselves to some degree, that's why tobacco advertising is banned, that's why alcohol advertising is severely restricted, that's why even junk and sugary foods are now restricted in advertising, gambling and payday loans now etc. etc. Loot boxes 100% need serious protection, I don't think any game that involves real money purchases should be allow a <18 rating for example, and advertising should be severely restricted, even youtube should be behind an age restriction screen for such things, that will make the devs/publishers take a long hard look at what they are and what they do, are they harmless purveyors of entertainment or are they insidious leeches who look to wring out every last cent of their customer base?

Regulated to some degree is different to an outright ban. Banning anything is a slippery slope.

 

[Placebo]

Regulated to some degree is different to an outright ban. Banning anything is a slippery slope.

At least in terms of shoving these things in kids faces that should be banned as tobacco/alcohol advertising has been, off topic but I still find it shocking how much gambling advertising is shoved into kids faces just because they go to a football match or worst of all watch a match on Sky etc.