Genshin Impact Game Developer Will be Banned from Selling Lootboxes to Teens Under 16 without Parental Consent, Pay a $20 Million Fine to Settle FTC Charges
Genshin Impact Game Developer Will be Banned from Selling Lootboxes to Teens Under 16 without Parental Consent, Pay a $20 Million Fine to Settle FTC Charges
The maker of the video game Genshin Impact has agreed to pay $20 million and to block children under 16 from making in-game purchases without parental consent to settle Federal Trade Commission all
Known violent psycho and sociopath SSSniperWolf is also specifically cited as recieving over $100,000 for two short videos which directly promoted the game's obscured lootbox mechanics to her audience of millions of children
Cost of doing business, doesn't even cover all minors, and has a checkbox caveat.
Ban the entire business model.
Professional studios games really has gone downhill. Who the hell wants loot boxes?
... Is this a joke?
The vast majority of the gaming market, if you go by generated sales revenue, has been mobile gacha games with lootbox / mtx / in game currency transactions for almost a decade now.
This is why basically every major AAA 'live service' game is primarily constructed and rushed out the door as a minimum viable product in terms of being a good game, but very robust and well developed in terms of the game's primary purpose, which is to serve as a platform, a
monopsonist(EDIT: monopolist) market for in game items, cosmetics, battle passes, etc.Its been like this for almost a decade
People like the games that crap was shoved into. They like them enough to tolerate it... and it's in fucking everything, anyway.
Because all it takes is a slim percent of people wildly overspending on imaginary hats, and poof, all rational consumer choices are outweighed by this pile of money.
Only legislation will fix this.
Gone downhill for a long time.
"Gamers, in rage, rushes to CS:GO as a protest."
Counterstrike 2* noob. You can't really stop the casinos :| well you can, buuut... well etc etc something or other clever. N*s can bet on fricking anything anyway, might as well regulate it. Wild our global society didn't learn from American alcohol prohibition kek
I have to admit that if the loot box issue in Genshin is the same as CSGO then this might just be a case of dumbass kids. I've never bought anything in CSGO and I have hundreds of hours in the game. You rarely get a good long close up look at gun skins in game which is all there really is to get from the boxes, so who fucking cares; and if there are attention calling GUI elements for the loot boxes then they aren't very significant because I don't recall them and my eyes apparently just gloss right over. So I really can't understand someone throwing a bunch of money at that without like the involvement of scammer YouTubers spreading lies to make money for their own hanging) gambling sites.
Cannot silence those Norwegian freedom of speech!
For what it's worth, the Hoyo "loot boxes" are quite fair because of the pity system:
- Every 10 pulls you'll get one if the featured 4* characters
- Within 90 pulls you're guaranteed to get a 5* (though you'll almost certainly get it between 74-80 pulls)
- When you get a 5*, there's a 50% chance of getting the featured character
- If you lose the 50/50, the next 5* will be the featured character.
- The pity system persists through each banner.
Each patch, free players will have enough resources to guarantee one of the featured characters and their signature weapon (provided they do their daily tasks and clear the content).
I've been playing Star Rail since launch, never purchased any premium currency. It's certainly the fairest form of gacha I've seen.
It kinda sucks that Hoyo is being targeted, when the system is so transparent and forgiving. There are MUCH more predatory systems out there.
Ah yes, gambling with just enough fairness to keep you gambling.
Can't disagree with that, but knowing there's certainty removes an element of exploitation.
Most players don't pull duplicate characters (though you can if you want to supercharge your favourite characters). Hoyo's business model essentially relies on whales who have too much money; not trying to nickel & dime the vast majority.
There is a paid battle pass (which becomes worthless once you're at endgame), and a supply pass (which gives more character pulls). Both are unnecessary, but buying at least one of them seems fair for the level of polish their games have, considering it's free to play.
Don't get me wrong, I think loot boxes are predatory, but compared to models which are totally RNG based, Hoyo's model isn't nearly as problematic.
Nothing inside a video game should cost real money.
Making it gambling is a thousand times worse. That fundamental abuse can't be fixed by tweaking numbers.
In theory I agree, but live service games need to be sustainable somehow. Subscriptions are one method, but create a barrier to entry past the trial phase.
I don't think about the Hoyo model as gambling (it is), as the vast majority of successful pulls happen between 74-80 pulls.
In any case, I don't disagree with you, but simply pointing out the obscurity claimed in the article is false, the system is transparent and fair, compared to other games which are far more deserving of being regulated.