If this passes they will probably just raise the prices for Electronic Arts games. lol I mean it would be nice if this did pass, but you know they have corporate people working on ways to nickle and dime gamers.
I'm fine with EA raising their prices. I haven't bought an EA game in at least a decade...Strangely enough not because of their business practices, I just don't like their games.
Even though some people say that loot boxes are a manipulative business practice, they are only manipulative because people are willing to buy into it.
Gonna stop you right there.
Lootboxes aren't manipulative because people buy them, I don't understand what that logic even is.
Lootboxes are manipulative because they put stuff in them that they know players will want and inflate the lootboxes with tons of trash they know nobody cares about like sprays so that you're increasingly unlikely to get the thing you actually want. The low price of a single loot box pushes people to say "just one more", the free loot boxes are designed to get you hooked, the "free" ones are hidden behind excessive grinds so you'll get sick of waiting for the next one
(only to get some sprays and duplicate items anyway). Those games with holiday event items are even worse as they flat out encourage the mentality of "I want that thing but the event is limited, I better spend money to get the thing".
Microtransactions are largely the same but not AS bad as at least you can just buy 'the thing' with those. Still, they don't put items on sale and expect you not to buy them, and with players valuing character customisation alongside the base cosmetics often being pretty bland, it does nothing but tempt players into buying...Turning players into payers, if you will.
Lets not forget people with certain personality types or age ranges. Many people have addictive personalities, lootboxes specifically preying on that potential gambling problem that's easy to exploit once you get them to open a few boxes. Heck, I don't even have a gambling problem, but I do have an addictive personality, which is why I won't even touch the free loot boxes. Kids or those with mental health issues that prevent them from fully understanding what they're paying into, the concept of how much they're spending or have trouble actually assessing how much a virtual item in a game is really worth. Kids who grabbed their parents credit cards since once they have that, it's really not difficult for them to use those details online
(maliciously or not).
Then we have systems that the likes of Activision have been proven to use that pair players together in an attempt to push them into microtransactions. Show them all the cool stuff other people have bought, maybe throw some average players into matches against ridiculously good players who've spent tons on microtransactions so the average guy may think "maybe if I spent money, I wouldn't suck". Definitely the fault of the players here.
Plus the pure simple fact: these games cost at least $60
(not including often necessary $60 season passes and a wide array of multiple excessively priced 'editions'). They don't need yet another avenue to milk money out of people.
But yea, the consumers are the problem, those careless idiots. We must protect those poor innocent corporations at all costs. How would sweet innocent Andrew Wilson ever get by without these exploitative tactics? The man only makes a measly $35 million a year....
