{{
`${userDetail.user.displayName}${userDetail.user.cachedBungieGlobalDisplayNameCode ? `#${standardizeBungieGlobalCode(userDetail.user.cachedBungieGlobalDisplayNameCode)}` : ""}`}}
{{getUserClans()}}
2/27/2018 10:10:28 PM
28
Not gambling...
[i]Central to the debate is whether loot boxes should be considered gambling and in that regard, the ESRB has maintained that's not the case, saying last year, "[b]While there's an element of chance in these mechanics, the player is [u]always guaranteed to receive in-game content[/u] (even if the player unfortunately receives something they don't want[/b])."[/i]
Highlighted key points that I've stated before.
Today the ESRB [url=https://esrbstorage.blob.core.windows.net/esrbcontent/about/news/downloads/igp-press-release-final-22718.pdf]has done another good thing[/url].
[i]The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) today announced that it will begin assigning a new “In-Game Purchases” label to physical (e.g., boxed) games[/i]
This means they are putting the responsibility on knowing about the In-Game Purchasing on the parents where it should be.
[i]Some may wonder why the ESRB isn't addressing loot boxes specifically, but ESRB President Patricia Vance told Ars Technica that it's because "[b]a large majority of parents don't know what a loot box is[/b]" and that parents' biggest concern is their children spending money in games, not necessarily how they're doing it.[/i]
Educate parents first.
This announcement doesn't change their view that it's not gambling either.
Within the [url=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ESRB-response-to-Senator-Hassan_Vance-2-27-18.pdf]return letter to Senator Hassan[/url]:
[i]As you referenced in your letter, there is some debate within the video game community about whether loot boxes constitute gambling. The ESRB has previously stated publicly that we do not consider loot boxes to be gambling for various reasons, nor am I aware of any legal authority in the United States that has classified loot boxes as gambling. In fact, the UK Gambling Commission recently determined that loot boxes do not constitute gambling.[/i]
In the end if Parents are educated about this and pass that knowledge on to their kids AS WELL as being able to properly monitor them the part of the Gaming Industry that's pushing these types of transactions will have less people to take advantage of.
About time the ESRB got something right IMO. This is not a loss for gamers. It's the proper step to deal with the issue of "Kids and loot boxes" long term while still allowing "responsible adults" to pay for things if they want to.
-
1 ReplyEdited by iDovahBear: 3/3/2018 12:34:14 PMSo maybe it's not technically gambling. But calling it gambling was only ever a means to an end, to say that it was a misguided way to sell a product to a consumer, that it was more than morally reprehensible. Maybe it's not gambling, but I don't think microtransactions at this level of variation are ethical. Nor do some people think it's healthy for the games that then become nothing more than a glorified sandbox to waste your time opening boxes in, these are all reasons why people [i]want[/i] to call it gambling. Because simply put, they want it to go away. The problem with that is this practice is making people stupid amounts of money, and there's more than enough people willing to buy into it. So the reason people are so adamant about discussing the legality of it is because to some it seems to be the only way to get the gaming industry away from this business model which seems to sap the life out of many franchises it touches. This all also touches on arguments about whether it's right or ethical to take years developing content for a game (like Destiny 1) , advertising that content as the base game, then restricting access to it based on DLC costs that come at a later date, thus implicating what was advertised as the "finished game" to be also DLC. It's going to remain a contentious conversation regardless of what any institution says going forward because it's a hotly debated issue that hits home for nearly anyone with a family and a console. And just for the record, I disagree. I think that it might as well be gambling, though I admit if you want to get technical it isn't necessarily. But that's splitting hairs and the underlying question here isn't whether it's gambling, but whether it's wrong. Enjoy your side of the fence on that, I guess.
