{"id":154756,"date":"2019-08-09T00:00:41","date_gmt":"2019-08-08T16:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/featured\/-1799199\/"},"modified":"2019-08-09T00:00:41","modified_gmt":"2019-08-08T16:00:41","slug":"dont-just-disclose-odds-for-video-game-loot-boxes-ban-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/2019\/08\/09\/dont-just-disclose-odds-for-video-game-loot-boxes-ban-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Just Disclose Odds For Video Game Loot Boxes, Ban Them"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.geek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/twitch-prime-wrecking-ball-overwatch-loot-boxes-hammond-650x366.jpg?resize=640%2C360&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<p>The Entertainment Software Association just announced the big three video game hardware makers Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony will now force publishers to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theesa.com\/perspectives\/video-game-industry-commitments-to-further-inform-consumer-purchases\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">reveal odds for loot boxes<\/a>\u00a0in games that appear on their consoles starting in 2020. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/368694\/google-forces-android-games-with-loot-box-to-disclose-odds\"  rel=\"noopener\">Apple and Google<\/a>\u00a0recently implemented a similar policy with their mobile game stores, where free-to-play gambling tactics are even more prevalent, so it\u2019s nice to see the industry get on the same page when it comes to this issue. But it\u2019s not enough. Loot boxes cannot be made more ethical. They need to be banned.<\/p>\n<p>Considering the ESA\u2019s sole function is to lobby for the video game industry (and leak personal information of people who go to E3) it makes sense they would endorse this half-step towards self-regulating. Following debacles like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/the-dankest-memes-of-star-wars-battlefront-ii-loot-boxes-1723209\/\"  rel=\"noopener\"><em>Star Wars Battlefront II\u2019<\/em>s loot boxes<\/a>\u00a0being <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/hawaii-investigating-ea-for-predatory-practices-in-games-like-battlefront-ii-1723701\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">borderline illegal<\/a>, the threat of government interference looms ever larger with senators introducing explicitly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/will-this-u-s-senators-bill-finally-kill-video-game-loot-boxes-1788557\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">anti-loot box legislation<\/a>. Meanwhile, pressure from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/bernie-sanders-calls-for-video-game-developer-unions-1792420\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">pro-union employees<\/a> is finally offering us hope that game executives, overpaid through exploitation of workers and consumers alike, may finally be held accountable for their actions.<\/p>\n<p>Disclosing loot box odds isn\u2019t entirely meaningless. It puts more power into players&#8217; hands so they can make smarter choices about how much money to flush into these free games. Real casinos wouldn\u2019t give you this kind of information. And with this extra transparency, publishers may be more inclined to tip the odds in your favor to get that fancy outfit. It\u2019s all so greedy and frustratingly arbitrary anyway. There\u2019s no real reason for entirely virtual items to be \u201crare.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"flex-video widescreen embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FHSrzDCD5R8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>Plus, the last time the industry tried to clean up its act before the government did we got the ESRB. A ratings board, while not perfect, was absolutely necessary. It\u2019s kind of crazy that the industry went so long without one.\u00a0Violent video games shouldn\u2019t be banned, but also maybe little kids shouldn\u2019t play them.<\/p>\n<p>But simply disclosing loot box odds just puts a bandage over a gaping wound. Random loot boxes are simply the latest, grossest permutation of \u201cfree-to-play\u201d mechanics that in fact encourage players to spend an infinite amount of money on a game instead of $60. It\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/please-pay-for-mobile-games-1685904\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">inherently predatory<\/a>\u00a0and fundamentally damages game design, even when you know the odds.<\/p>\n<p>When explaining their support for this ESA initiative, Sony and Nintendo talked specifically about how it ties in with their parental control apps, implying that loot boxes target and harm children most of all. That doesn\u2019t sound like something in need of a reform. It sounds like something that should be banned.<\/p>\n<p>The drama over loot boxes is just one part of why the video game industry, the tech industry, and the idea of industry itself these days is in desperate need of regulation, from the inside or the outside if need be. This new loot box rule is a baby step in the right direction, but we need a full push.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>More on Geek.com:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/the-creepiest-video-game-cults-1797796\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">The Creepiest Video Game Cults<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/these-are-the-games-you-should-play-in-august-2019-1798793\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">These Are the Games You Should Play in August 2019<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/superstar-streamer-ninja-leaves-twitch-for-microsofts-mixer-1798430\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">Superstar Streamer Ninja Leaves Twitch For Microsoft\u2019s Mixer<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/twitch-prime-wrecking-ball-overwatch-loot-boxes-hammond-650x366.jpg\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\"><\/figure>\n<p>The Entertainment Software Association just announced the big three video game hardware makers Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony will now force publishers to reveal odds for loot boxes&nbsp;in games that appear on their consoles [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/dont-just-disclose-odds-for-video-game-loot-boxes-ban-them-1799199\/\">Don&rsquo;t Just Disclose Odds For Video Game Loot Boxes, Ban Them<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/\">Geek.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/2019\/08\/09\/dont-just-disclose-odds-for-video-game-loot-boxes-ban-them\/\">\u95b1\u8b80\u5168\u6587 <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"slim_seo":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[6587,6588,2054,2,5269,2047,16,7],"tags":[398,402,397,414,413,410,409,407,478,481,482,480,479,408,406,399,400,394,10,401,396,403,412,411,395,405,404,477],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7prtj-Eg4","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154756"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154756\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}