Should loot boxes be banned in videogames?

[Silberman]

A recent study is showing that during the pandemic addiction to loot packs has grown, with 24% of those participating in a survey feeling they are addicted to them, do you think they should be banned for young people? Obviously most games rely on a random element when it comes to make their mechanics work, but when you can use real money to buy those loot boxes without really knowing what you are going to get you are crossing a line and it seems to me this should be considered gambling, what do you think?

https://news.sky.com/story/children-addicted-to-video-game-loot-packs-in-lockdown-gambling-support-groups-warn-12262946

[ralle14]

I think there's no need for a ban on loot boxes since most games don't have any legal way to sell those cosmetic items apart from steam's marketplace which was mentioned in the article. It's still possible for you to sell them by handing the account away but for me it's not just the same as actual gambling where it's very easy to pull out your money anytime you want once you hit something big.  

[swogerino]

A recent study is showing that during the pandemic addiction to loot packs has grown, with 24% of those participating in a survey feeling they are addicted to them, do you think they should be banned for young people? Obviously most games rely on a random element when it comes to make their mechanics work, but when you can use real money to buy those loot boxes without really knowing what you are going to get you are crossing a line and it seems to me this should be considered gambling, what do you think?

https://news.sky.com/story/children-addicted-to-video-game-loot-packs-in-lockdown-gambling-support-groups-warn-12262946

No need for a ban.These games are just like normal games with an added element which is to use real money to buy upgrades or other things to make your character in the game more appealing.Gambling is another nature and is you use money to try and make more money while here you use money to create a better gameplay experience which are two completely different things.

[Hydrogen]

Loot boxes should 100% be banned in video games.

Game developers will always use it as an obfuscation method of profit. Where gamers are taken advantage of and awarded less than what they pay for.

There is never a scenario where devs use it as a method of giving gamers more than their money's worth. It is a predatory business practice and method of exploitation via default.

The typical loot box might award a gamer $1 of content for every $50+ they spend. Its a shell game utilized to hide financial losses of gamers and on the opposite end of the spectrum: game profits. Which is why it was such a big money maker for game developers.

[Wexnident]

That would basically require the devs to somehow choose another option to profit. Yes, it's quite the devious way to earn through their games, but most games with loot boxes are games that are released freely in the first place, so it's actually understandable why such a thing exists. They could retain loot boxes but they have to somehow improve the rates or something, since fr, people are just going to spend thousands of dollars to get one item they really wanted, which realistically speaking, is just the companies milking the money out of their users.

Still, spending for loot boxes isn't really an option that's enforced for its users, and not like having that content from lootbox would differentiate you from other users, so I don't think it should be banned. Rather, it should be properly regulated so that users who spend on it are able to justify the cost for what they wanted to get.

[michellee]

If that negatively affects young people, maybe the government makes regulations to control or reduce the number of young people who can addict to that game. But no matter what, if someone is addicted because of something, that will need responsibility for that people not to become addicted because I am sure that people can prevent the addicting. Maybe some people will say that it is gambling, but other people will not say that it is gambling. That will depend on how the perspective of each people to see that game.

[adzino]

A recent study is showing that during the pandemic addiction to loot packs has grown, with 24% of those participating in a survey feeling they are addicted to them, do you think they should be banned for young people? Obviously most games rely on a random element when it comes to make their mechanics work, but when you can use real money to buy those loot boxes without really knowing what you are going to get you are crossing a line and it seems to me this should be considered gambling, what do you think?

https://news.sky.com/story/children-addicted-to-video-game-loot-packs-in-lockdown-gambling-support-groups-warn-12262946

They should be. Loot boxes are another form of gambling where kids and underaged person getting addicted to is going to be a huge problem. Have you read the news on how kids are now getting attached to those loot boxes for those "lovely" and "flashy" skins and items? I have even read several articles where kids "unknowingly" (or on purpose) has been spending thousands of dollars on loot boxes or crates from their parents credit card without their parents being aware. Videogames should be made to enjoy. Not get addicted to some sort of gambling mechanism. Its more like those companies are exploiting people by adding "game of chances" into their system. Any videogames that has loot boxes should be considered as a casino.

[Mauser]

A recent study is showing that during the pandemic addiction to loot packs has grown, with 24% of those participating in a survey feeling they are addicted to them, do you think they should be banned for young people? Obviously most games rely on a random element when it comes to make their mechanics work, but when you can use real money to buy those loot boxes without really knowing what you are going to get you are crossing a line and it seems to me this should be considered gambling, what do you think?

https://news.sky.com/story/children-addicted-to-video-game-loot-packs-in-lockdown-gambling-support-groups-warn-12262946

That is quite an alarming growth rate to be honest. I got hooked myself on loot boxes a few years back during the CSGO skin hype. Seeing for how much Knifes and AWPs are being sold I wanted to try my own luck. When you see the famous Twitch streamers open cases after cases and getting the high end knifes you become jealous. The cases you get for free, but the keys you need to buy and nowhere it is written what are the real percentages to get a knife. I invested like 150 EUR over 2-3 months and kept opening cases, 99% of the loot was just 3 cent skins and completely worthless. I managed to get one knife which was really cheap though. In the end invested so much money to get a knife which was worth 40 EUR back in the day. After that I quite the loot box games, it is better to buy the skins directly and trade them over time in my opinion.

[Fortify]

It's a tricky question to answer really, as loot boxes are essentially just another form of microtransaction. In many cases game developers are stuck in a tough position, in such a highly competitive field it is difficult to keep producing high quality games in order to earn money from one-off sales. This turns them to either a subscription model or the need to make money from selling in-game items. However parents essentially need to have some accountability and responsibility here, because these kids are unlikely to have access to sources of money that can be spent online. They'll be using a parents credit card or online payment account and this is where the restrictions can be placed. Once somebody is over 18 then the choice becomes a bit more blurry as some of these games are highly addictive and the gambling element should be minimized as much as possible. If you ban loot boxes then you are basically banning randomized prize generators and limiting options for people with more self control.

[slapper]

A recent study is showing that during the pandemic addiction to loot packs has grown, with 24% of those participating in a survey feeling they are addicted to them, do you think they should be banned for young people? Obviously most games rely on a random element when it comes to make their mechanics work, but when you can use real money to buy those loot boxes without really knowing what you are going to get you are crossing a line and it seems to me this should be considered gambling, what do you think?

https://news.sky.com/story/children-addicted-to-video-game-loot-packs-in-lockdown-gambling-support-groups-warn-12262946

Banning is never a good solution. Since loot boxes and video games have become an important part of the internet, education is needed so that children/teenagers are more aware of what they are doing. Also, it is the responsibility of parents to control their children's behaviors. Family is the best place to cure any addiction or syndrome. Parents often carelessly neglect their children by letting them do what they want. Such routines cause bad impacts on children since they can become addictive, not just to video games, loot boxes in specific but also drug or social issue in general

Well, a small regulation is ok, in my opinion, because the government and video game companies also have partial responsibility for this issue.

[Jackl87]

I think it depends on the monetisation model of the game. If it is a free 2 play game than i think we have to live with lootboxes because in a way or another those companies need to make money too. But those lootboxes should not contain stuff, that makes you stronger because that would be pay to win. I play path of Exile regularly and i am totally fine with their lootboxes because they only contain cosmetic stuff.
If it is a full price game that also has lootboxes than it is absolutely not ok in my opinion. Just look at FIFA. That game costs 60 bucks and you still need to buy lootboxes to get the best players. I even think that this shouldnt be allowed at all. Fifa is a bad game anyway that  no serious and informed gamer would touch. Every year a New Version with no new features at all but of course for a full price.

[Smartprofit]

A recent study is showing that during the pandemic addiction to loot packs has grown, with 24% of those participating in a survey feeling they are addicted to them, do you think they should be banned for young people? Obviously most games rely on a random element when it comes to make their mechanics work, but when you can use real money to buy those loot boxes without really knowing what you are going to get you are crossing a line and it seems to me this should be considered gambling, what do you think?

https://news.sky.com/story/children-addicted-to-video-game-loot-packs-in-lockdown-gambling-support-groups-warn-12262946

In my opinion, loot boxes should be prohibited by law (in computer online games). 

In fact, this is a violation of the rights of buyers (consumers).  The buyer pays real money.  At the same time, he does not receive a real product for this money.  In fact, he is offered to play the lottery.  The lottery is one hundred percent gambling.  However, the player is not familiar with the rules of this lottery.  As a result, he cannot adequately assess the probability of winning a prize (a game item or skill he needs). 

Yes, one can understand the desire of developers to monetize a computer game.  However, the mechanisms for this monetization must be honest and transparent.

Lootboxes do not meet these conditions (criteria).

[Nadziratel]

A recent study is showing that during the pandemic addiction to loot packs has grown, with 24% of those participating in a survey feeling they are addicted to them, do you think they should be banned for young people? Obviously most games rely on a random element when it comes to make their mechanics work, but when you can use real money to buy those loot boxes without really knowing what you are going to get you are crossing a line and it seems to me this should be considered gambling, what do you think?

https://news.sky.com/story/children-addicted-to-video-game-loot-packs-in-lockdown-gambling-support-groups-warn-12262946

With this logic, we should ban many things. And in the current period, we often witness that prohibitions do not help and encourage people even more. I think individuals who have learned the concepts of right and wrong will always choose the right thing unless they are under great pressure. So they prefer to act logically instead of an addiction situation. I think we should learn to raise people right, instead of banning them.

[acroman08]

they should or at least do what Belgium did. restrict the purchase of any loot boxes for people under the age of 18 or make it harder for them to be purchased. others might not see it as gambling but I do and I think it can be addicting. I've seen and heard people sell their belongings just to be able to buy the latest loot box and get the latest items, costumes, etc...

EA Sports, which makes the FIFA games, deny loot packs are gambling, because winnings cannot be "cashed out".

I am not surprised EA would say this. loot boxes are one of the main money-making methods of any video games/online games today and if they removed them they'd lose a lot of revenue.

[imstillthebest]

there are video games that are meant to be played for 18+ years old but loot boxes are not limited to adult games but there are loot boxes for lesser age restricted games . they cant be banned but your children should be guided if they are using our gadgets when playing games because they can spend our money for loot boxes  .
some games are greedy because they make sure that your going to pay for more before you get the grand prize in loot boxes ,
this is my main concern .

[crzy]

That can't be considered as gambling, because you'll get something in return and I'm sure every players knows that even the young players while in gambling, you are just spending money without getting anything in return especially if you are not lucky enough.

There's a lot of young gamers playing their favorite games, and its hard to regulate them because the parents are not that techy, maybe its better to communicate with them and ask them about the games they are playing before you get mad to them. There's a lot of free loot boxes and you can still get that without spending money, I'm confident the young players are not spending that much of money just to buy loot boxes.

[Cling18]

I think banning it would be too much. Putting restrictions especially on young people would be a better step especially for those who are really addicted to it. Loot boxes are actually one of the ways to attract more players. As for me, gambling sites should be more strict when it comes to the age of players. Banning some features would affect a big percentage of the gambling community.

[aysg76]

A recent study is showing that during the pandemic addiction to loot packs has grown, with 24% of those participating in a survey feeling they are addicted to them, do you think they should be banned for young people? Obviously most games rely on a random element when it comes to make their mechanics work, but when you can use real money to buy those loot boxes without really knowing what you are going to get you are crossing a line and it seems to me this should be considered gambling, what do you think?

https://news.sky.com/story/children-addicted-to-video-game-loot-packs-in-lockdown-gambling-support-groups-warn-12262946

Yes people are becoming addict to videogames and they are spending their real and hard earned money to buy various items from custom boxes in the game which they don't what they will get.Just in order to get upgradations and costumes or skins they spend large amount of funds just to purchase coupons in game from which they will not get any benefit.I have heard some cases where child gamers have spend lakhs in game on these stupid loot boxes without the parents permission.But who knows a professional gamer is just selling his in game costumes or anything obtained from loot boxes in the form of NFT ? But at this time only company is benefitting from these types of promotional loot boxes and gaining huge profits from gamers.So we need to stop such kind of schemes.

[fiulpro]

A recent study is showing that during the pandemic addiction to loot packs has grown, with 24% of those participating in a survey feeling they are addicted to them, do you think they should be banned for young people? Obviously most games rely on a random element when it comes to make their mechanics work, but when you can use real money to buy those loot boxes without really knowing what you are going to get you are crossing a line and it seems to me this should be considered gambling, what do you think?

https://news.sky.com/story/children-addicted-to-video-game-loot-packs-in-lockdown-gambling-support-groups-warn-12262946

Hi
Even a lot of YouTubers are actually sharing all these things around and people are buying these loot boxes and this is actually very normal, I heard a story where the kid used his parents credit card without them knowing and brought like a lot of them, some of these boxes does come with a lot of good deal therefore I do think that it should actually not be banned lol , no one's even banning gambling even though the addiction is much more sevear and at the same time we don't need a ban but rather we need : regulations. Good regulations!! In place !

restrictions are way better since people will try and anyways buy from the black market. That would be much worse ! Help them ! Don't just tell them No to their face they are not gonna listen.

[7788bitcoin]

A recent study is showing that during the pandemic addiction to loot packs has grown, with 24% of those participating in a survey feeling they are addicted to them, do you think they should be banned for young people? Obviously most games rely on a random element when it comes to make their mechanics work, but when you can use real money to buy those loot boxes without really knowing what you are going to get you are crossing a line and it seems to me this should be considered gambling, what do you think?

If there are people who thinks that playing a video game and real life does not have a difference then they need to conduct a mental assessment test. If you are referring to the criminal looting in the US you need to consider them as criminal activities and punish them for the actions rather than trying to blame video games for their criminal activities.