The first and most important thing we'd say after years playing FIFA Ultimate Team, League of Legends and Overwatch, among other games that
use loot boxes and free - to - play mechanics, is that players are happiest - and still spend loads of money - if you focus on cosmetics rather than items that alter gameplay.
So in the interests of trying to find some positivity in this Battlefront II mess, let's take a look at other games that
use loot boxes and F2P aftermarket gameplay items in a good way, and think about how EA DICE might improve things in the future, whether through patches or in a theoretical sequel.
It's possible that the post-game portion of Shadow of War, or the online castle sieges, push players more toward microtransactions and instills more of a desire to
use loot boxes.
This year, I've played seven major titles which explicitly
use loot boxes as part of their in - game economies: Middle - earth: Shadow of War, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Injustice 2, Lawbreakers, Forza Motorsport 7, For Honor, and the Star Wars Battlefront 2 beta.
At the moment, there are few bigger games than PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), and
it uses a loot box system as part of its monetisation.
To me, THAT is what the real controversy should be, as it includes business models from big games out there, often not even
using loot boxes, that ruin the concept of an even playfield in competition.
Retooling the systems to provide loot box contents without
using a loot box would take months.
Treasure mode allows you to spend currency received from increasing your player level to
use the loot box mechanic mentioned in my impressions piece.
Further, I urge the ESRB to consider working with the relevant stakeholders — including parents — to collect and publish data on how developers are
using loot boxes, how widespread their use is, and how much money players spend on them.
Despite the controversy surrounding loot crates, 11 percent of respondents, or about one in 10 developers, are working on a game with a monetization strategy that
uses loot boxes.
There has been considerable debate as to how loot boxes should be handled by publishers in the wake of EA's controversial mechanism in its game «Star Wars Battlefront II» —
using loot boxes as a way to achieve power - ups early on in the game than intended.
Not exact matches
Belgian website VTM is reporting that the country's Gaming Commission is currently taking a look at
loot boxes in video games, with particular focus on EA's inclusion of them in Star Wars: Battlefront II and Blizzard's
use in Overwatch.
So... with the knowledge that the
loot boxes are all but vestigial, or
used to pad out Act 4, my conclusion is simple.
«They buy
loot boxes so that they can
use their contents within the game and thereby have a better gaming experience.»
«In practical terms this means that where in - game items obtained via
loot boxes are confined for
use within the game and can not be cashed out it is unlikely to be caught as a licensable gambling activity.
Whether we are seeing a wave of criticism that will end up erasing or minimizing the
use of
loot boxes from mobile gaming (and gaming more generally) remains to be seen.
At the same time, gamers seem to be firmly against the
use of
loot boxes.
I wonder if lawmakers going after
loot boxes will
use WHO's recognition of gaming disorder as a way to further their point that
loot boxes are making games more addictive and fueling «gaming disorders.»
After the huge debacle with Star Wars Battlefront II, which was accused of going way overboard with its
use of
loot boxes and had to pull them from the game completely prior to launch, the legal landscape is ripe for moves such as the one by Ranker.
But it's not just that the
loot boxes feature non-cosmetic upgrades, that give you a clear advantage over other players, it's the fact that the whole progression system is based around their
use.
Overwatch «s
loot boxes are a little less controversial, offering up cosmetic items to those who wish to
use real - world money to obtain extra
loot.
Joining a guild gives players the chance to acquire guild points,
used to unlock special guild - only
loot boxes.
Speaking of the weapons, you will be able to find a lot of them doing just the regular story missions but plenty of them are available through
loot boxes that you can either purchase them
using the in - game currency or utilize real - life money in order to get some of the more rare quality
loot.
Zeni is
used to buy
loot boxes that contain cosmetic items only.
17 months ago, when Overwatch first arrived on the scene, its
use of
loot boxes generated a noticeable but relatively mild amount of fuss, as many were willing to forgive Blizzard based on the merits of the game itself.
However I «d like to get rid of
loot boxes, because then that means even
using in game currency for items will be randomized.
There's a guild multiverse to tackle together, and
using the currency you earn guild - specific
loot boxes can be bought.
A
loot crate is a physical
box full of useless stuff and general bollocks that you will never
use at a fun price.
Loot boxes, microtransactions, season passes, DLC bundles, subscriptions and «games are a service» are all ways in which publishers can further guard against a flop which, when
used in a successful game can feel predatory but can rescue a studio in times of adversity; a good example of this is Rainbow Six: Siege which has gone on to be very successful thanks to continued support through DLC, despite a sluggish start.
Battlefront II
uses credits to unlock characters and purchase
loot boxes that grant ability - augmenting «star cards.»
The recent release of the Star Wars Battlefront II video game faced prompt backlash namely due to the
use of the so - called
loot boxes or
loot crates.
«Customers stupidly assumed that because
loot box rewards were randomised, and that
loot boxes use weaponised addictive psychology techniques developed by the gambling industry, and that
loot boxes cost real money, that they are the same as gambling.»
The
looting system in Dying Light could
use a little work the balance of items you receive seems fine, but just about everything is in a yellow tool
box or a rusted looking crate, which is ok but there are so many other locations in the environment to spawn
loot it seems silly that every other balcony has the same crate and tool
box.
Specifically,
Loot Boxes have returned to the site and readers in the UK and US can grab an extra discount on these
boxes when
using the code GAMER30 during checkout to get an extra 30 % off your purchase (works on Level 10, 20 and 30
boxes).
I'll ask again, «Can you imagine» if EA
used the money raised from
loot boxes to put out new free content like a new character?
«It offers limited - time costumes and set daily items that players can purchase outright, as opposed PUBG Mobile's primary
use of
loot boxes that produce random (and often duplicate) items when opened by players.»
It's Super Hero Manager 2017, the fighting game equivalent to Gran Turismo's B - Spec races and as well as being a great way to grind out challenges and Trophies with characters you can't
use well (or just grab some free
loot boxes while you do something else), you'll also find yourself rooting for your creation and cheering them on to bring you home that shiny new
loot.
As seen in the screenshot above, it offers limited - time costumes and set daily items that players can purchase outright, as opposed PUBG Mobile's primary
use of
loot boxes that produce random (and often duplicate) items when opened by players.
And that's the type of thinking we had when considering
loot boxes — the intention of
using that revenue to fund further gameplay development that ALL our players would benefit from.
Bungie must have known there would be pushback to the changes to shaders and the inclusion of mods in
loot boxes, but much of it stems from surprise and confusion than from the real substance of the changes (though the community would clearly still prefer shaders to be unlimited
use).
It's
use of microtransactions and
loot boxes was rejected by enough gamers to cause a rethink and the game changed so much we felt compelled to give it a re-review.
There's room to talk about the links between video game companies and gun manufacturers, or the psychological tricks that video games
use to keep people hooked on
loot boxes.
Hassan wants ESRB to review its stance on
loot boxes on ethical grounds and if nothing else, make sure that any games
using them are clearly marked.
In Middle - earth: Shadow of War, the
loots boxes give weapons and orcs to be
used in the army.
Players are currently not allowed to
use real money to buy
loot boxes, which contained the credits that can be
used to gain access to characters.
In answer to one user's point that
loot boxes «ruin the feeling of accomplishment, are a form of gambling, and are obviously an incentive for players to buy credits
using microtransactions», Brannvall said, «I think crates can be a fun addition as long as you don't feel forced to engage with them in order to progress.
It is this wasteful expenditure that is
used by executives to justify the inclusion of microtransactions, season passes,
loot boxes, and all manner of anti-consumer business practices, all under the guise of «games are expensive to make.»
So... with the knowledge that the
loot boxes are all but vestigial, or
used to pad out Act 4, my conclusion is simple.
There's even a petition calling for the UK government to bring in tougher regulations regarding the
use of
loot boxes in video games.
I heard from people whose
loot box habits led to skin gambling and eventual debt, teenagers who spent all the money from their first job on
loot boxes, and even a 16 - year - old who told me that, at 11, he
used his mom's credit card without her knowledge to buy hundreds of dollars worth of in - app purchases.