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From: Zaghadka <zaghadka@hotmail.com>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action
Subject: Re: FREE GAME: Black Desert
Date: Wed, 09 Jul 2025 07:58:55 -0500
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On Wed, 9 Jul 2025 09:04:36 +0100, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action, JAB
wrote: 

>On 07/07/2025 14:39, Mike S. wrote:
>> On Mon, 7 Jul 2025 08:08:09 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> I can't comment on LOTRO but my problems in general with MTX in games is
>>> that it has been shown that for a certain section of gamers there is a
>>> correlation, not causation, between problem gamblers and the likes of
>>> lootboxes but companies still sell them anyway. Next-up is that the game
>>> becomes focused not on what's good for the game experience but instead
>>> how do we get people to open their wallets yet again with the
>>> 'psychological warfare' that entails.
>> 
>> Gamers chose this. When Turbine changed LOTRO's monetization to free
>> to play, their profits tripled within six months. Smaller MMOs (like
>> LOTRO) will not survive on a $15 a month model anymore.
>
>The problem is there are a section of gamers who don't 'choose' to spend 
>the amount of money they do in a real sense but instead are susceptible 
>to being manipulated and companies are more than happy to oblige them.
>
>So take paid lootboxes, personally I don't like them in games at all but 
>if we must have them is it really that much to ask for users to be able 
>to set limits on their ability to buy them if they think they need it. 
>So think there's default limits and if you want to change them down it's 
>done straight away but if you want to put them up then you have to wait 
>a day or two before that change is made. Admittedly companies would have 
>to be forced to do this as we all know that people just love surprise 
>mechanics.

This would definitely be a sensible thing to do for public health
interests.

Shame it goes against the rules of exploitative capitalism. It would
require a lot of effort to get it passed in the US. Maybe not in the EU
though.

I had not even considered that idea.

-- 
Zag

What's the point of growing up 
if you can't be childish sometimes? ...Terrance Dicks, BBC