But when I did, I almost wished they offered a way to pay to not have everyone else in ridiculous costumes--pay to have things actually look the way the designers intended instead of filled with a bunch of memes the studio made them add.
It’s not gambling unless you can “reinvest” your winnings. Games where you can sell cosmetics on the secondary market walk a fine line and maybe shouldn’t be allowed. Games where you keep all the cosmetics you got from loot boxes have a ‘stop condition’, you’re either going to get what you want, or enough crafting materials to make it
Horse armor in Oblivion was one thing, because it was a microtransaction to change your appearance in a single-player game, where no one else could possibly see what your cosmetic output was.
That's more like microtransactions in WoW to buy new mounts, which don't directly affect anyone else unless you're buying one of those two-seaters. The line in the sand grew bigger when they let you buy combat pets which had some unique abilities because now you could interact with other players and technically have a P2W argument.
Buying loot boxes with straight up random % chance to get anything out of it, even with Fortnite's method of having some loot llamas only contain a theme/specific set of items, it's still gambling. It's still paying money to bet against the odds that you end up with that one thing you want from the available list of things, and in Fortnite's case, a lot of it is cosmetic, but at least half of that stuff is there to improve your position in either the single-player or multi-player campaigns.
It’s not gambling unless you can “reinvest” your winnings. Games where you can sell cosmetics on the secondary market walk a fine line and maybe shouldn’t be allowed. Games where you keep all the cosmetics you got from loot boxes have a ‘stop condition’, you’re either going to get what you want, or enough crafting materials to make it
That's fine for your own personal definition, but you should at least recognize that this isn't the definition most people use for gambling.
For example, there are professional poker players. They make a profit. They're still gambling.
It’s not gambling unless you can “reinvest” your winnings.
This isn't true. Raffles, where you buy a ticket for a chance to win prizes, is considered a form of gambling. There's no way to reinvest your winnings from a raffle into the raffle again.
Loot boxes always tend to give you something, but the uncertainty in what you'll get is the gambling aspect. Once companies allow people to pump real money into these mini lotteries, it becomes real cause for concern. The fact that people can't extract back out the money put it doesn't mean they're not exploiting people via gambling mechanics.
Raffles are regulated state-by-state, just like other gambling. Just like other gambling, in some states they are totally legal, in others heavily regulated, and in many some place in between.
Please look these things up before you post them. Otherwise, next you'll say something like "Poker isn't gambling, because we have poker nights at my house with a cash pot."
You can hold a raffle without a gambling license and sell raffle tickets to children
This varies from state to state. In some states, it's illegal. In some states, you need a license. In many, it's restricted to charities, or at least non-profits: https://www.liberty.edu/media/9997/Raffle_Laws.pdf
Regardless of whether loot boxes fit under any traditional form of gambling, as a society we can still evaluate it and determine whether it's something we want to allow, or something we want to restrict in some way. We can also opt to call it a new form of gambling.
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MichaelLCIn what furnace was thy brain?ChicagoRegistered Userregular
edited June 2019
eGambling.
Go to an eCasino to bet money on your favorite eSports eTeam.
Instead of the VIDEO POKER HERE signs I see everywhere now, it'll be FORTNITE EBETTING HERE!!!
Also governments have been regulating and supervising gambling for hundreds of years
And with good reason. Because it preys on vulnerable people and makes their world worse. Through gambling, you can reliably extract rents from a certain segment of the population, and that segment of the population becomes poorer, sicker and worse off for it. Now, part of the reason government regulates it is to insert itself into that revenue stream, sure - but this can also reduce the amount of harm done, and lock it into a place where it's at least supervised.
Also, the 'it's not a real thing you're buying' is a total red herring. Games are ephemeral experiences. No-one (except maybe your mum) says that it should've been illegal for you to buy Halo 2 because the game 'is not a real thing'. The game is the experience you have when you're playing it. That applies to swinging around the rare lightsaber drop you just got or whatever just as much as it applies to a subscribing to World of Warcraft, etc., etc. There are tons of problems with lootboxes but the 'it's not a real thing' criticism just ain't it.
I don't know where he got the scorpions, or how he got them into my mattress.
I remember when everyone complained about Horse Armor in Oblivion for $2.50 or whatever, and what a huge ripoff it was. Now, people spend $20 for Silver or Coins or Gems or whatever to get a random pick of shit that’s already in the damn game.
Did any of us have any idea how bad things could get, back then?
Yes.
But too many wagged fingers and said it was just being hysterical. That it was just a blip and this wasn't going to become common at all, because who was going to buy it? Ah, those were the days. I wish I could look those discussions up and see how much the world has changed.
Posts
That's more like microtransactions in WoW to buy new mounts, which don't directly affect anyone else unless you're buying one of those two-seaters. The line in the sand grew bigger when they let you buy combat pets which had some unique abilities because now you could interact with other players and technically have a P2W argument.
Buying loot boxes with straight up random % chance to get anything out of it, even with Fortnite's method of having some loot llamas only contain a theme/specific set of items, it's still gambling. It's still paying money to bet against the odds that you end up with that one thing you want from the available list of things, and in Fortnite's case, a lot of it is cosmetic, but at least half of that stuff is there to improve your position in either the single-player or multi-player campaigns.
Steam: TheArcadeBear
That's fine for your own personal definition, but you should at least recognize that this isn't the definition most people use for gambling.
For example, there are professional poker players. They make a profit. They're still gambling.
Loot boxes always tend to give you something, but the uncertainty in what you'll get is the gambling aspect. Once companies allow people to pump real money into these mini lotteries, it becomes real cause for concern. The fact that people can't extract back out the money put it doesn't mean they're not exploiting people via gambling mechanics.
And still gambling. Hence why it can be strictly regulated in many states.
You are, once again, categorically wrong.
https://andyswebtools.com/cgi-bin/p/awtp-links.cgi?d=lmn
Raffles are regulated state-by-state, just like other gambling. Just like other gambling, in some states they are totally legal, in others heavily regulated, and in many some place in between.
Please look these things up before you post them. Otherwise, next you'll say something like "Poker isn't gambling, because we have poker nights at my house with a cash pot."
This varies from state to state. In some states, it's illegal. In some states, you need a license. In many, it's restricted to charities, or at least non-profits:
https://www.liberty.edu/media/9997/Raffle_Laws.pdf
In New York State, it falls under "Charitable Gaming" and you have to be 18 to purchase a raffle ticket.
https://www.gaming.ny.gov/charitablegaming/raffle_guide.php
Regardless of whether loot boxes fit under any traditional form of gambling, as a society we can still evaluate it and determine whether it's something we want to allow, or something we want to restrict in some way. We can also opt to call it a new form of gambling.
Go to an eCasino to bet money on your favorite eSports eTeam.
Instead of the VIDEO POKER HERE signs I see everywhere now, it'll be FORTNITE EBETTING HERE!!!
And with good reason. Because it preys on vulnerable people and makes their world worse. Through gambling, you can reliably extract rents from a certain segment of the population, and that segment of the population becomes poorer, sicker and worse off for it. Now, part of the reason government regulates it is to insert itself into that revenue stream, sure - but this can also reduce the amount of harm done, and lock it into a place where it's at least supervised.
Also, the 'it's not a real thing you're buying' is a total red herring. Games are ephemeral experiences. No-one (except maybe your mum) says that it should've been illegal for you to buy Halo 2 because the game 'is not a real thing'. The game is the experience you have when you're playing it. That applies to swinging around the rare lightsaber drop you just got or whatever just as much as it applies to a subscribing to World of Warcraft, etc., etc. There are tons of problems with lootboxes but the 'it's not a real thing' criticism just ain't it.
http://newnations.bandcamp.com
Yes.
But too many wagged fingers and said it was just being hysterical. That it was just a blip and this wasn't going to become common at all, because who was going to buy it? Ah, those were the days. I wish I could look those discussions up and see how much the world has changed.
https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/38429/oblivion-fighters-stronghold-dlc-monday-october-15th/p1
If you add 'site:forums.penny-arcade.com' to a search, it just looks in these boards