US senator calls on ESRB to take action on loot boxes, suggests FTC could get involve

[Jtbrig7390]

They should ban DLC's too. Its not any different.

DLC is 100% different, With DLC you know what you are getting.

DLC is no different than expansion's from the late 90's early 00's.

[kail]

Point is that if anything ends with a different ESRB label on games, it won't change anything. Kids already play games that are supposed to be 16+ because parenmts don't know and don't read anything, so what makes this different?

While that may be true, there are responsible parents that do look at the back of the box before buying it for their child. Adding "Contains Lootboxes" or the like could be helpful information for the informed buyer, something I can't find a downside to.

But yes, there will still be the thousands of 10 year olds that can get their parents to buy GTA or Southpark games knowing that their parents are ignorant of the contents.

I hope these people got their jimmies in a bundle over baseball cards at one point in the past, because that's very similar to loot boxes nowadays. And, that was much more targeted to children than loot boxes are now.

Or Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh cards. Oh how lucky I am that I have zero interest in gambling!

[Vynestra]

Even if the gov't gets involved, lord knows theres going to be 50 loopholes lol.

[Jtbrig7390]

While that may be true, there are responsible parents that do look at the back of the box before buying it for their child. Adding "Contains Lootboxes" or the like could be helpful information for the informed buyer, something I can't find a downside to.

But yes, there will still be the thousands of 10 year olds that can get their parents to buy GTA or Southpark games knowing that their parents are ignorant of the contents.

Yep and many store's do require parents to come in and buy games rated T or M. Unless you are lucky and get that one cashier who doesn't care.

[kail]

Yep and many store's do require parents to come in and buy games rated T or M. Unless you are lucky and get that one cashier who doesn't care.

That's all store policy. No law stopping a store from selling M games to children tbh, and there's always buying online or digital download.

[Jtbrig7390]

That's all store policy. No law stopping a store from selling M games to children tbh, and there's always buying online or digital download.

True just the last thing they want is raging parents coming into the store because Timmy 9 year old bought South Park. Like you said some parents do look at the rating and some retailer's will even say what rating it is and why.

[sabe]

DLC is 100% different, With DLC you know what you are getting.

DLC is no different than expansion's from the late 90's early 00's.

Sorry, i kept it short. I am talking about small additions to games those are sold as DLC.
Can't write here every game or can't compare all but looking at some games i feel DLC's are no different than lootboxes.
People buy lootboxes for cosmetics or gaining advantage over others.
So;
Looking at ARMA dlc's, they provide both cosmetic and advantage over the player who didn't buy DLC.
Looking at Total War:Warhammer, you pay for many DLC's. Even for blood effect you need to pay for DLC.

And mostly they sell you an unfinished game and start selling what game miss' and call it DLC.

[PickleballAce]

How do Eurotrash spin a thread about loot boxes into one about gun control?

[Schattenlied]

I hope these people got their jimmies in a bundle over baseball cards at one point in the past, because that's very similar to loot boxes nowadays. And, that was much more targeted to children than loot boxes are now.

With one important difference:

The cards can be traded, which is why they are called trading cards.

cards can be traded freely between players/collectors, lootbox loot cannot. If I get a MTG card I don't want, I can trade it for one I do want with some other player who doesn't want the card they got, but wants mine. I can sell the cards I don't want for cash. I can directly buy the cards I want from another player with money without ever touching a card pack at all. I can buy a pre-built deck from the company or third party assembler that has specific cards in it, so that I know exactly what I am getting before I ever spend a dime, no randomness involved at all. This cannot be done with lootboxes... The loot lottery can be entirely avoided with IRL cards, it can't with lootboxes.

- - - Updated - - -

Sorry, i kept it short. I am talking about small additions to games those are sold as DLC.
Can't write here every game or can't compare all but looking at some games i feel DLC's are no different than lootboxes.
People buy lootboxes for cosmetics or gaining advantage over others.

Difference is, when you buy DLC you aren't gambling. You get what everyone else gets for the same price everyone else pays.

So;
Looking at ARMA dlc's, they provide both cosmetic and advantage over the player who didn't buy DLC.
Looking at Total War:Warhammer, you pay for many DLC's. Even for blood effect you need to pay for DLC.

Know what's great about both of those games? They can be modded, and mods cover both of these supposed issues.

[PosPosPos]

Difference is, when you buy DLC you aren't gambling. You get what everyone else gets for the same price everyone else pays.

I guess lootboxes are so egregious that people are inured to something that's only marginally better.

[Dhrizzle]

How about they fix the mass shootings of innocent children first

You asked for it - http://www.kotaku.co.uk/2018/02/17/u...-for-shootings

[Keile]

What they need to do is allow parental controls to block ingame purchases like Loot Boxes. OR allow someone to voluntarily opt out of being able to purchase them altogether (for adults with problems buying them).

And as someone who works with compulsive gamblers FOR A LIVING I can say without a doubt that Loot Boxes are a form of gambling that just skirts around the legal definition. I see the SAME SORT OF BEHAVIOR in people who constantly buy loot boxes that I see in people who compulsively play slot machines. Saying they are not gambling is semantics, just like the new machines that are showing up in gambling facilities (they show you a Win or Loose screen before you pay....so you pay to claim THAT winning, but in reality you are paying for the NEXT screen to show you whether or not you win or loose...but this skirts around our current laws).

Allowing at LEAST parental controls/opt out on Loot Boxes would be similar to systems currently in place in Casinos and the like (Self-Exclusion).

[Cyclone Jack]

Looking at Total War:Warhammer, you pay for many DLC's. Even for blood effect you need to pay for DLC.

To be fair, blood is sold as a DLC so that the game can keep a T rating.