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Square Enix Pulls Three Games From Belgium After Loot Box Ban (theguardian.com)
The games publisher Square Enix is pulling three mobile games from Belgium following the introduction of a law in the European nation that bans "loot boxes" as a form of gambling. From a report: The games -- "Mobius Final Fantasy", "Kingdom Hearts Union X" and "Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia" -- are some of largest titles in the publisher's mobile roster, although it is better known for its console games such as "Tomb Raider", "Final Fantasy" and "Hitman." In statements posted in the games, Square Enix confirmed that the new law was to blame for their removal, citing "the present uncertain legal status of 'loot boxes' under Belgian law". Belgium first took action against "loot boxes", digital reward packs which can be bought with real or virtual money and contain a semi-random array of in-game items, back in April. The country's gaming commission ruled that the mechanics, as implemented in three popular games -- "Overwatch", "Fifa 18" and "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" -- were in violation of gambling legislation.
The law has been in place since 2014.
But it's a Nanny State.
Is there a Ministry of Protection from Games yet?
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
lots of folks find it very, very addicting. That's why it's being used in games.
The trouble here is the games industry is refusing to self regulate. And who can blame them? They're making not just billions, but tens of billions. Activision and EA have collectively increased their market cap by $70 billion. Like it or not, loot boxes work. And they work because _gambling_ works. It's not as though the effects of gambling aren't well researched either.
At this point I think the game makers know what they're doing is wrong and that they're going to have to stop. They're just going to make as much money as they can before the ban hammer comes down. In the meantime it kinda sucks to be a gamer if you want new games, since they're stuffed full of crap that's meant to manipulate me. I'm old enough to see right through that crap so it's ruins the escapism for me. It drags me right back to the real world like a bad product placement.
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All games with loot boxes or micro transactions should be banned. Why people play this shit is beyond me.
Would you prefer that arcade games never have existed? "INSERT COIN" is a repeatable microtransaction.
Loot boxes, the way how players earn them fosters the habit of gambling. It seems the games developers intentionally never code a mechanism that searches the players in-game inventories before determining the contents of loot boxes. The content of loot box is coded to be random even when the loot box is purchased with only exception increasing percentage of rare items appearing.
disney does not like them or slots
I guess they'll have to go back to making normal games.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
They would be better off disabling loot boxes in Belgium so no one's really pissed off about it. I doubt the loss of Belgium sales would be noticeable, so they might be trying to put pressure on Belgium by getting voters discontent with those laws if they don't have access to the games, especially if other publishers follow the trend, but that can also make Belgium try to escalate the issue to the EU level to gain leverage.
Banning words, taxing links and removing news. Demanding control over news and user linked content.
Now EU nations want to control computer game content.
Why do EU government and bureaucrats want so much control over what people read and do using networked computers?
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
if you think people who do it regularly are idiots. Gambling takes advantage of several well known psychological quirks of the human mind to manipulate already vulnerable people.
This isn't nannying. It's recognizing a vulnerable minority and taking steps to protect them. You might just as well say consumer protection laws are nannying.
Lastly, video games are Casinos now. The lootboxes are the slots and poker tables. It's like how Uber is really a taxi cab service. You call a spade a spade and gambling gambling. The only reason loot boxes haven't ruined more lives is the game companies are holding back just a bit. They're only doing that under threat of regulation.
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Is there a Kinder Surprise Toy Ministry in the US?
I forget whether it's the Food and Drug Administration, but the USA bans Kinder Surprise because food and toy are enclosed together, posing a choking hazard. It allows Kinder Joy because the food and toy are separately sealed.
which is that while loot boxes are bringing in a ton of money they're doing it with gambling techniques; and that can't last. They work because they're exploitative, and if you take that away they stop working. Eventually gov't will step in.
So far so good, but it's going to punch a massive hole in the balance sheets of every major company. The shareholders aren't going to stand for that. I'm not really sure what will happen. "Activist" shareholders might push to liquidate the companies. Or the companies might case some desperate trend to make back the lost profits only to lose a ton of money and collapse. Don't know, but it's going to be interesting times...
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Tell me, when something like kiddie porn is prosecuted and suppliers halted, do you whine about the EU then too? Fucking moron.
If you made that claim in ignorance then you must admit that it is an ignorant claim. Making you, ironically, the idiot you claim those who are addicted to gambling are. Retard.
Ignorant idiotic libertardians are too. Tell me, do you whine about the USA who arrest people for running an internet gambling store as being nanny? No, because you're a fucking hypocrite, like all libertardians.
You also ignore that it is gambling, something the USA is FAR more nanny state over than almost the entire EU (and I only say "almost" because there MAY be a country in the EU that isn't, because I don't know the gambling laws on all of them). Gonna whine about the USA? No?
i would say, i blame the game for being an incognito gambling scheme.
On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
Just ban video gaymez. They're gay and stupid.
Yes it has loot crates - you earn them by leveling up, and hitting other certain milestones.Once you have them, you can open them - you don't have to pay to open them. Other games, you do, and you x% chance of getting whatever super-fangled widget etc.
I know you can buy loot crates, but really, for a bunch of stuff which is cosmetic and kind of fun to have, I don't feel the need to buy shit, happy to earn as I play.
The article is somewhat incomplete, more games are also pulled from Belgium, such as Final Fantasy Brave Exvius.