I really wanted to in the ESRB in-game purchases thread but then there would be a massive ramble possibly going off on a tangent and nobody likes a rambly tangent in the middle of a thread. I will try and keep everything ontrack ...
So the ESRB are slapping on a sticker to say a game has in game purchases. This changes nothing and is purely a political move to make it look like they are doing something. Tarring DLC ( as scummy as some DLC is ) with the same brush as Loot Boxes and Microtransactions is just ludacris and does nothing to address the underlying problem of scummy developers and publishers.
Loot Boxes are gambling let's just get that right out the way to start with it's no different than going to a pub or casino and playing a fruit machine or slot machine. The problem is as adults we can gauge the risk and reward factor, children cant, or at least not to the extent that an adult can. Even some adults struggle with this which is why we have gambling addiction, but this is compounded when you think when they aren't playing the game with the loot boxes they are probably watching some guy on Youtube or Twitch open boxes ( usually being funded by donors ) and little Timmy thinks " wow, cool. I want that stuff too " What do you think he's gonna do when he's begged his mum and dad for more pocket money to spend on loot boxes and they say no? He's gonna go in to his dad's wallet or mums purse and take their credit card not thinking of what's gonna happen when they find out. Then we get the headlines on the news " Child racks up eleventy billion paying for loot boxes " the parents demand to be repaid, blah blah we have seen it all before and the developer turns round and says " well it says right here on the box - contains in game purchases, this is your fault "
TL;DR it's all a bit arse cover for the games industry. It's not here for parents ( they couldn't care less what Timmy plays ) or to inform the player, it's to protect the greedy bastards at the top.
Do loot boxes and microtransactions belong in "triple A" games? No. Leave the microtransactions to mobile games and loot boxes as an extra reward for players to earn in game
So the ESRB are slapping on a sticker to say a game has in game purchases. This changes nothing and is purely a political move to make it look like they are doing something. Tarring DLC ( as scummy as some DLC is ) with the same brush as Loot Boxes and Microtransactions is just ludacris and does nothing to address the underlying problem of scummy developers and publishers.
Loot Boxes are gambling let's just get that right out the way to start with it's no different than going to a pub or casino and playing a fruit machine or slot machine. The problem is as adults we can gauge the risk and reward factor, children cant, or at least not to the extent that an adult can. Even some adults struggle with this which is why we have gambling addiction, but this is compounded when you think when they aren't playing the game with the loot boxes they are probably watching some guy on Youtube or Twitch open boxes ( usually being funded by donors ) and little Timmy thinks " wow, cool. I want that stuff too " What do you think he's gonna do when he's begged his mum and dad for more pocket money to spend on loot boxes and they say no? He's gonna go in to his dad's wallet or mums purse and take their credit card not thinking of what's gonna happen when they find out. Then we get the headlines on the news " Child racks up eleventy billion paying for loot boxes " the parents demand to be repaid, blah blah we have seen it all before and the developer turns round and says " well it says right here on the box - contains in game purchases, this is your fault "
TL;DR it's all a bit arse cover for the games industry. It's not here for parents ( they couldn't care less what Timmy plays ) or to inform the player, it's to protect the greedy bastards at the top.
Do loot boxes and microtransactions belong in "triple A" games? No. Leave the microtransactions to mobile games and loot boxes as an extra reward for players to earn in game
