The maker of the video game Genshin Impact has agreed to pay $20 million and to block children under 16 from making in-game purchases without parental consent to settle Federal Trade Commission all
For what it’s worth, the Hoyo “loot boxes” are quite fair because of the pity system:
Every 10 pulls you’ll get one if the featured 4* characters
Within 90 pulls you’re guaranteed to get a 5* (though you’ll almost certainly get it between 74-80 pulls)
When you get a 5*, there’s a 50% chance of getting the featured character
If you lose the 50/50, the next 5* will be the featured character.
The pity system persists through each banner.
Each patch, free players will have enough resources to guarantee one of the featured characters and their signature weapon (provided they do their daily tasks and clear the content).
I’ve been playing Star Rail since launch, never purchased any premium currency. It’s certainly the fairest form of gacha I’ve seen.
It kinda sucks that Hoyo is being targeted, when the system is so transparent and forgiving. There are MUCH more predatory systems out there.
Can’t disagree with that, but knowing there’s certainty removes an element of exploitation.
Most players don’t pull duplicate characters (though you can if you want to supercharge your favourite characters). Hoyo’s business model essentially relies on whales who have too much money; not trying to nickel & dime the vast majority.
There is a paid battle pass (which becomes worthless once you’re at endgame), and a supply pass (which gives more character pulls). Both are unnecessary, but buying at least one of them seems fair for the level of polish their games have, considering it’s free to play.
Don’t get me wrong, I think loot boxes are predatory, but compared to models which are totally RNG based, Hoyo’s model isn’t nearly as problematic.
In theory I agree, but live service games need to be sustainable somehow. Subscriptions are one method, but create a barrier to entry past the trial phase.
I don’t think about the Hoyo model as gambling (it is), as the vast majority of successful pulls happen between 74-80 pulls.
In any case, I don’t disagree with you, but simply pointing out the obscurity claimed in the article is false, the system is transparent and fair, compared to other games which are far more deserving of being regulated.
‘Ban this entire business model.’ ‘But this business model must succeed, somehow.’
Fuck 'em.
Subscriptions are harder because that’s what it looks like when consumers make rational decisions. This bullshit alternative has infected everything by tricking people into throwing money at approximately dick. Not all people - but enough people.
Counterstrike 2* noob. You can’t really stop the casinos :| well you can, buuut… well etc etc something or other clever. N*s can bet on fricking anything anyway, might as well regulate it. Wild our global society didn’t learn from American alcohol prohibition kek
I have to admit that if the loot box issue in Genshin is the same as CSGO then this might just be a case of dumbass kids. I’ve never bought anything in CSGO and I have hundreds of hours in the game. You rarely get a good long close up look at gun skins in game which is all there really is to get from the boxes, so who fucking cares; and if there are attention calling GUI elements for the loot boxes then they aren’t very significant because I don’t recall them and my eyes apparently just gloss right over. So I really can’t understand someone throwing a bunch of money at that without like the involvement of scammer YouTubers spreading lies to make money for their own gambling sites.
The vast majority of the gaming market, if you go by generated sales revenue, has been mobile gacha games with lootbox / mtx / in game currency transactions for almost a decade now.
This is why basically every major AAA ‘live service’ game is primarily constructed and rushed out the door as a minimum viable product in terms of being a good game, but very robust and well developed in terms of the game’s primary purpose, which is to serve as a platform, a monopsonist (EDIT: monopolist) market for in game items, cosmetics, battle passes, etc.
Is this a joke? Just because there are casinos in every game now doesn’t mean everyone’s sitting at the slots. Moronic whales are the reason this shit continues to infest every game. There are tons of people on this planet with way more cents than sense.
For starters, children are legally barred from entering casinos, unlike many, many video games which include mtx, dark patterns such as layered currency obfuscation, pricing schemes that encourage you to buy that next tier amount of video game currency that always leave you with a bit left over, constantly asking the user if they want to buy something, designing the UI such that you always see what you’d be getting extra if you were levelling up the premium battle pass instead of the default one, etc etc… which are either directly targeted at, or allow children to play them.
Why are children banned from casinos?
Because their brains aren’t developed enough to properly understand risk vs reward.
Secondly, the social dynamics at play in both a casino and games with even only mtx cosmetics… both of these settings massively peer pressure the customer/consumer/mark into engaging with the gambling/mtx spending mechanics.
Its not just that whales are a thing that somehow exist prior to and outside of mtx games or casinos, its that the entire system is designed to pressure everyone who interacts with it in any capacity into breaking down and spending more and more.
These systems are designed to produce more, whales, more dolphins, to push everyone toward a higher class of spending irresponsibility regardless of the propensity upon entering.
Empirically, this works. Insanely well.
Saying ‘its all the whales fault’ is a cop out.
Its the fault of game execs and studios that hire psychologists to figure out how to design the most exploitative games possible, and lawyers to figure out how to legally justify this.
Its the fault of regulators being asleep at the wheel and allowing nearly the entire industry to get away with this shady bullshit for so long, usually with only slaps on the wrist.
You’re blaming the drug addicts in a society that’s normalized addiction.
I’m blaming the drug manufacturers, the pushers and the cops that look the other way because they or their boss gets a kick back.
Even this feels like blaming the victims. Corporate assholes exploiting moronic whales are why this shit continues to infest every game.
I mean, not gonna be any kinder about rubes who blow a thousand dollars on a casino for pants. It’s just not their fault the casino is there to take them.
People like the games that crap was shoved into. They like them enough to tolerate it… and it’s in fucking everything, anyway.
Because all it takes is a slim percent of people wildly overspending on imaginary hats, and poof, all rational consumer choices are outweighed by this pile of money.
Known violent psycho and sociopath SSSniperWolf is also specifically cited as recieving over $100,000 for two short videos which directly promoted the game’s obscured lootbox mechanics to her audience of millions of children
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Cost of doing business, doesn’t even cover all minors, and has a checkbox caveat.
Ban the entire business model.
For what it’s worth, the Hoyo “loot boxes” are quite fair because of the pity system:
Each patch, free players will have enough resources to guarantee one of the featured characters and their signature weapon (provided they do their daily tasks and clear the content).
I’ve been playing Star Rail since launch, never purchased any premium currency. It’s certainly the fairest form of gacha I’ve seen.
It kinda sucks that Hoyo is being targeted, when the system is so transparent and forgiving. There are MUCH more predatory systems out there.
Ah yes, gambling with just enough fairness to keep you gambling.
Can’t disagree with that, but knowing there’s certainty removes an element of exploitation.
Most players don’t pull duplicate characters (though you can if you want to supercharge your favourite characters). Hoyo’s business model essentially relies on whales who have too much money; not trying to nickel & dime the vast majority.
There is a paid battle pass (which becomes worthless once you’re at endgame), and a supply pass (which gives more character pulls). Both are unnecessary, but buying at least one of them seems fair for the level of polish their games have, considering it’s free to play.
Don’t get me wrong, I think loot boxes are predatory, but compared to models which are totally RNG based, Hoyo’s model isn’t nearly as problematic.
Nothing inside a video game should cost real money.
Making it gambling is a thousand times worse. That fundamental abuse can’t be fixed by tweaking numbers.
In theory I agree, but live service games need to be sustainable somehow. Subscriptions are one method, but create a barrier to entry past the trial phase.
I don’t think about the Hoyo model as gambling (it is), as the vast majority of successful pulls happen between 74-80 pulls.
In any case, I don’t disagree with you, but simply pointing out the obscurity claimed in the article is false, the system is transparent and fair, compared to other games which are far more deserving of being regulated.
‘Ban this entire business model.’ ‘But this business model must succeed, somehow.’
Fuck 'em.
Subscriptions are harder because that’s what it looks like when consumers make rational decisions. This bullshit alternative has infected everything by tricking people into throwing money at approximately dick. Not all people - but enough people.
Such copium.
How? I’m F2P lol
Not if you participate in any of the bullshit you just described so tenderly.
You say tenderly, I say transparent.
I enjoy the game, the fact that I can’t get every unit for free doesn’t bother me. There’s no copium here dingbat.
“Gamers, in rage, rushes to CS:GO as a protest.”
Counterstrike 2* noob. You can’t really stop the casinos :| well you can, buuut… well etc etc something or other clever. N*s can bet on fricking anything anyway, might as well regulate it. Wild our global society didn’t learn from American alcohol prohibition kek
I have to admit that if the loot box issue in Genshin is the same as CSGO then this might just be a case of dumbass kids. I’ve never bought anything in CSGO and I have hundreds of hours in the game. You rarely get a good long close up look at gun skins in game which is all there really is to get from the boxes, so who fucking cares; and if there are attention calling GUI elements for the loot boxes then they aren’t very significant because I don’t recall them and my eyes apparently just gloss right over. So I really can’t understand someone throwing a bunch of money at that without like the involvement of scammer YouTubers spreading lies to make money for their own gambling sites.
Cannot silence those Norwegian freedom of speech!
Professional studios games really has gone downhill. Who the hell wants loot boxes?
… Is this a joke?
The vast majority of the gaming market, if you go by generated sales revenue, has been mobile gacha games with lootbox / mtx / in game currency transactions for almost a decade now.
This is why basically every major AAA ‘live service’ game is primarily constructed and rushed out the door as a minimum viable product in terms of being a good game, but very robust and well developed in terms of the game’s primary purpose, which is to serve as a platform, a
monopsonist(EDIT: monopolist) market for in game items, cosmetics, battle passes, etc.Its been like this for almost a decade
Gone downhill for a long time.
Is this a joke? Just because there are casinos in every game now doesn’t mean everyone’s sitting at the slots. Moronic whales are the reason this shit continues to infest every game. There are tons of people on this planet with way more cents than sense.
That’s an insanely bad analogy.
For starters, children are legally barred from entering casinos, unlike many, many video games which include mtx, dark patterns such as layered currency obfuscation, pricing schemes that encourage you to buy that next tier amount of video game currency that always leave you with a bit left over, constantly asking the user if they want to buy something, designing the UI such that you always see what you’d be getting extra if you were levelling up the premium battle pass instead of the default one, etc etc… which are either directly targeted at, or allow children to play them.
Why are children banned from casinos?
Because their brains aren’t developed enough to properly understand risk vs reward.
Secondly, the social dynamics at play in both a casino and games with even only mtx cosmetics… both of these settings massively peer pressure the customer/consumer/mark into engaging with the gambling/mtx spending mechanics.
Its not just that whales are a thing that somehow exist prior to and outside of mtx games or casinos, its that the entire system is designed to pressure everyone who interacts with it in any capacity into breaking down and spending more and more.
These systems are designed to produce more, whales, more dolphins, to push everyone toward a higher class of spending irresponsibility regardless of the propensity upon entering.
Empirically, this works. Insanely well.
Saying ‘its all the whales fault’ is a cop out.
Its the fault of game execs and studios that hire psychologists to figure out how to design the most exploitative games possible, and lawyers to figure out how to legally justify this.
Its the fault of regulators being asleep at the wheel and allowing nearly the entire industry to get away with this shady bullshit for so long, usually with only slaps on the wrist.
You’re blaming the drug addicts in a society that’s normalized addiction.
I’m blaming the drug manufacturers, the pushers and the cops that look the other way because they or their boss gets a kick back.
Even this feels like blaming the victims. Corporate assholes exploiting moronic whales are why this shit continues to infest every game.
I mean, not gonna be any kinder about rubes who blow a thousand dollars on a casino for pants. It’s just not their fault the casino is there to take them.
People like the games that crap was shoved into. They like them enough to tolerate it… and it’s in fucking everything, anyway.
Because all it takes is a slim percent of people wildly overspending on imaginary hats, and poof, all rational consumer choices are outweighed by this pile of money.
Only legislation will fix this.
Known violent psycho and sociopath SSSniperWolf is also specifically cited as recieving over $100,000 for two short videos which directly promoted the game’s obscured lootbox mechanics to her audience of millions of children