We talked about this subject numerous time, but we are always trying to shed some new light on this problem because we need to create awareness in young gamers about the intertwining of gambling and gaming. This occurrence was evolving steadily and inconspicuously until it became a problem that is haunting the progress of today’s gaming industry. Many young gamers including children who are exposed to video games more than ever are suffering the consequences of this phenomenon. What is so striking is the fact that these youngsters are taking this for granted because that is their first contact with this world of gaming. Older, more experienced gamers remember happier timer when playing video games was playing video games and gambling was something else.
Source: The Verge
History lesson
Before online gambling parlors and sports betting sites, gambling was reserved for more traditional institutions where physical presence was necessary when playing craps or blackjack. The world of video games was still evolving from arcades to consoles and desktop games and there was no gathering point where games were colliding with gambling. The element of chance was slowly introduced into the gameplay when developers realized that they could make some real money out of it. They figured that gamers love that thrill of creating some in-game economy and that surprise element of loot boxes and similar innovations. While most players accepted these novelties as a refreshment in the world of gaming, the controversies started to emerge on whether this element of chance and randomness has its place in video games.
This element was introduced, so stealthily and surreptitiously that nobody noticed it for a long time, and this was archived because it was first added as a feature in online casino games like Zynga Poker. It was like adding new gambling elements into casino games, so nobody was complaining. Then came the second phase when these elements were slowly introduced in the mainstream video games like the Sims. This was followed by the proliferation of those massively multiplayer titles where their in-game economy became the main source of income. The rest is history from that moment until this day.
Source: Getty Images
Where we stand today?
Today, we stand at the crossroad where we must decide whether loot boxes are a legitimate part of gaming or they belong more in a casino of sorts. The loot mechanism is a very sneaky way of getting some real money out of your pockets without you realizing that you are participating in a form of gambling. The loot mechanism has too much randomness in its core to be disregarded as a form of gambling. Ever since Star Wars Battlefront hit every market, no one can imagine another RPG game without this element in it.
It looks like we crave risk and uncertainty like we want to be surprised with the outcome whether we play a video game or gamble at a blackjack table. It is just in our blood and we can’t help it, so we may as well get along with it. Developers are certainly happy with their cash flow as a result and some players seem to enjoy spending real money when finding random objects. There are some angry people from our online gaming community who complain about some unfairness that this loot mechanism brought into multiplayer gameplay. Those willing to spend a few bucks gain a tremendous advantage over regular guys who just want to enjoy fun gameplay.
Source:Code Nation
Are you a gamer or a gambler?
Most of our gaming associations have made up their mind and concluded that loot boxes do not represent a form of gambling, so this trend is going to continue no matter what we think about it. One of the arguments is that everyone now has free access to online casinos and gamers do not need to replace it with loot boxes. Anyone has constant access to any entertainment thanks to their smartphone. Users are increasingly starting to use the smartphone as a gaming platform. Online casinos are introducing new technologies to satisfy the needs of users and adapting their services for fast and comfortable use on smartphones. To find out about the best deals and choose the best website especially for himself, the reader can read the review on a mobile online casino on FukuroCasinos and enjoy the game on his mobile device. Many experts predict that in the next 15-20 years, mobile devices will completely replace personal computers. In this case, modern video game developers need to adapt to these trends now.
We are talking about discrimination based on money that needs to be invested in buying loot boxes in the first place. If these boxes were awarded based on our in-game achievements, that would bring some equilibrium among all players, and that is exactly what developers are supposedly trying to do. They are trying to convince us that this is the primary way that random items will be awarded to those best players, but the option to pay for specific loot boxes remains available.
It remains available for those who wish to skip hard gameplay and earn achievements more easily, which seems fair as true players can earn these same items by using their skills instead of real money. There is still an element of randomness even for those players but this seems like the best deal that we are going to get. Maybe it is not such a bad deal to leave the gaming to gamers and gambling to gamblers. This way you will have a choice when taking sides in this process and you will not feel so discriminated or enforced into a game of chance. We leave you to decide where you belong and make up your mind about this whole matter.
Source: unsplash
Conclusion
Say what you want about this subject, but it made video games more popular than ever by recognizing our propensity for risk-taking. Maybe some people didn’t know that they had this inside them until loot boxes option became available. After that, everybody discovered that some little part of them is a fan of gambling as well.
