Loot boxes FINALLY being investigated by UK Government

Gimpymoo · 12 Sep 2019 at 15:21

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-49661870

So, better late than never after Belgium and Holland took action.

The industry needs to take a SERIOUS look at itself, these things have been a SCAM since day 1 with some developers being worse then others, Electronic Arts and TakeTwo being the biggest culprits along with the king of Loot box, Epic Games.

Games like Fortnite are mostly complete garbage with a gambling element thrown in and it can have a negative effect on a childrens health.

I banned Fortnite in the house very early on having seen how trash the game was and the loot box element was the decider for me.

Interesting to see what EA do with Fifa Ultimate Team as I think it is scary how much cash that generates from gullible children.

The recent NBA2K games have basically been a Casino with a basketball mini-game thrown in.

The US government is also investigating.

Serves them right but as we all know, they will just work around it.

I wonder if the Epic Games Store cash will now dry up and if they will continue bribing developers with Fortnite cash?

Without the Fortnite cash, can Epic continue wooing developers with upside guarantees?

V F · 12 Sep 2019 at 15:27

Who would ever of thought it would have been in Quake Champions. £7.99 for a weapon skin.

Gimpymoo · 12 Sep 2019 at 15:31

V F said:
Who would ever of thought it would have been in Quake Champions. £7.99 for a weapon skin.

That is not a gamble though right if you know upfront EXACTLY what you are getting.

V F · 12 Sep 2019 at 15:44

They used to have RNG lootboxes.

physichull · 12 Sep 2019 at 16:09

Its something that concerns me with children playing these games also. It introduces a lot of peer pressure from friends who have more affluent parents who can afford to splash the cash a bit more and bend to their children's wishes than those who cannot afford to do so. It potentially introduces another form of bullying and that pressure culture well and truly exists already in schools.

Thinking about it again though, perhaps that is a non-sequitur as I guess that pressure has always existed in many ways before....it was just about other things....some kids allowed Playstations whilst others weren't etc, but I guess in todays connected world this pressure is amplified greater.

V F · 12 Sep 2019 at 16:12

I remember kids trying to get some Galaxy phone with a rare skin for Fortnite.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/how-to-unlock-the-galaxy-skin-in-fortnite/

Gimpymoo · 12 Sep 2019 at 16:14

physichull said:
Its something that concerns me with children playing these games also. It introduces a lot of peer pressure from friends who have more affluent parents who can afford to splash the cash a bit more and bend to their children's wishes than those who cannot afford to do so. It potentially introduces another form of bullying and that pressure culture well and truly exists already in schools.

You are spot on with those comments.

I seen through it early doors and banned it from the house.

It creates "haves and haves not" culture which some children are not equipped to deal with.

physichull · 12 Sep 2019 at 16:16

By the same token, should we also not be looking football stickers?

V F · 12 Sep 2019 at 16:17

This is no different than the Panini sticker album days in the 90s with those extreme rare stickers. Or even collector cards like Pokemon.

Gimpymoo · 12 Sep 2019 at 16:22

V F said:
This is no different than the Panini sticker album days in the 90s with those extreme rare stickers. Or even collector cards like Pokemon.

Except loot box items cannot be traded with other plays for the most part so a BIG difference.

physichull · 12 Sep 2019 at 16:22

V F said:
This is no different than the Panini sticker album days in the 90s with those extreme rare stickers. Or even collector cards like Pokemon.

Agreed. I can see both sides to this debate, but for me, more weight of sympathy falls upon the parents of children who are demanding new skins and the peer pressure this creates. This has always been there, as said above the haves and have nots but todays internet connected world amplifies this pressure like never before and for me it is on THAT point that the gaming industry is failing.

V F · 12 Sep 2019 at 16:25

Gimpymoo said:
Except loot box items cannot be traded with other plays for the most part so a BIG difference.

I remember kids trading toys or even money for rare stickers/cards/coins back then but they'll still do anything for loot boxes and the pressure rises. Even some selling Fortnite user accounts with rare skins for silly hundreds.

MegaPinches · 12 Sep 2019 at 16:36

V F said:
This is no different than the Panini sticker album days in the 90s with those extreme rare stickers. Or even collector cards like Pokemon.

Its another level though, and the turn over is on another magnitude compared to old forms of collecting pointless things, its similar to virtual roulette and slots compared to OTC betting with the same habbit forming. Though I hate regulations on stuff like this I'd love to see the back of microstransaction bs, I remember as a kid reading CVG and you had that yellow paper insert in the older issues and it had predictions for the future about microtransactions, I was like F' that BS. Here we are. I'd like to see the gaming industry burn from this for a while and from the ashes we might get back to actual gaming and not playing dress up and OCD collecting crap.

V F · 12 Sep 2019 at 16:38

How do you change it though when it is all about shareholders and money.

Rofflay · 12 Sep 2019 at 16:40

Gambling should be banned in all forms to be honest it would create a better society it is always people preying on another humans hopes of winning something he has a small chance of doing while thry nearly always win. They should not be wasting money when they probably have debts or rent a house this is taking thier money that should be building the basis of thier adult life.

It is not just loot boxes either free market capitalism brings out the greed and worst in companys and they are willing to stoop to very low places to make money. Just look at all the Ladbrokes in poor areas of Belfast and Glasgow too same thing different place.

Gimpymoo · 12 Sep 2019 at 16:41

MegaPinches said:
I'd like to see the gaming industry burn from this for a while and from the ashes we might get back to actual gaming and not playing dress up and OCD collecting crap.

"here here"

My thoughts exactly.

I dislike using "Fortnite" as the example of the bad guy in the room but personally, it is a micro transaction simulator primarily and a game second.

AAA Games are all about squeezing the consumer for all they can get and worring about the game after that.

Slam · 12 Sep 2019 at 16:43

I hate how perfectly decent games get broken gameplay mechanics and difficulty curves in order to encourage purchases. It wouldn't be quite so bad if the purchases unlocked abilities that balanced the gameplay permanently and if the pricing totalled something like the one off traditional price of an equivalent game... but they don't.

MegaPinches · 12 Sep 2019 at 16:44

Rofflay said:
Gambling should be banned in all forms to be honest it would create a better society it is always people preying on another humans hopes of winning something he has a small chance of doing while thry nearly always win. They should not be wasting money when they probably have debts or rent a house this is taking thier money that should be building the basis of thier adult life.

It is not just loot boxes either free market capitalism brings out the greed and worst in companys and they are willing to stoop to very low places to make money.

Who are you to deny people life lessons, its up to people to hang themselves in they want. If there were no tests of will power how would anyone grow as a person. Ban drinking, smoking, fast food, stock market then shall we as well? unethical gambling like rigged FOBT's and the like as they are a con and are not RNG but upfront forms of gambling are fair game.

V F · 12 Sep 2019 at 16:44

Rofflay said:
Gambling should be banned in all forms to be honest it would create a better society it is always people preying on another humans hopes of winning something he has a small chance of doing while thry nearly always win. They should not be wasting money when they probably have debts or rent a house this is taking thier money that should be building the basis of thier adult life.

It is not just loot boxes either free market capitalism brings out the greed and worst in companys and they are willing to stoop to very low places to make money. Just look at all the Ladbrokes in poor areas of Belfast and Glasgow too same thing different place.

I remember Tony Blair wanted to bring those mega casinos to the UK which got rejected. Imagine how bad that would have become if it existed today.

Gimpymoo · 12 Sep 2019 at 16:45

MegaPinches said:
Who are you to deny people life lessons, its up to people to hang themselves in they want. If there were no tests of will power how would anyone grow as a person. Ban drinking, smoking, fast food, stock market then shall we as well? unethical gambling like rigged FOBT's and the like as they are a con and are not RNG but upfront forms of gambling are fair game.

Grown adults are one thing, targeting primary school kids and making them feel like **** is another.