EA lootboxes and the unforseen consequences by ddrfr33k

gaming · @ddrfr33k · Dec 13 '17

$2.17

EA lootboxes and the unforseen consequences

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<p>I wanted to talk a little bit about the fallout that EA has experienced over their lootbox system, the potential gambling legislation surrounding it, and provide a glimpse into a potential future. &nbsp;To do this, I need to start at the point that I caught wind of it.</p>
<p>It started with a comment from EA on r/starwarsbattlefront on Reddit:</p>
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<p><a href="https://np.reddit.com/r/StarWarsBattlefront/comments/7cff0b/seriously_i_paid_80_to_have_vader_locked/dppum98/">Comment</a> from discussion <a href="https://np.reddit.com/r/StarWarsBattlefront/comments/7cff0b/seriously_i_paid_80_to_have_vader_locked/">Seriously? I paid 80$ to have Vader locked?</a>.</p>
<p>At the time, the comment was at over 200,000 downvotes, and was all of 8 hours old at the time. &nbsp;That's a lot of downvotes! &nbsp;Then I started digging. &nbsp;What I found was that EA had included a particularly malicious payment scheme in the new Star Wars game. &nbsp;One that would force people to spend money to have a snowball's chance in hell of being able to compete. Then came word that Belgium was preparing to <a href="http://www.pcgamer.com/belgium-says-loot-boxes-are-gambling-wants-them-banned-in-europe/">investigate the possiblity of declaring such lootboxes a form of gambling</a>. &nbsp;This would lead to fines for non-compliance for EA, if the game didn't get banned outright in Europe altogether. Next thing you know, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/7emmyz/i_contacted_the_victorian_commission_for_gambling/">Australia followed suit</a>, and then <a href="http://fortune.com/2017/12/09/lawmaker-working-to-ban-sale-of-games-with-lootboxes-to-minors/">State Legislators in Hawaii</a> considered drafting similar legislation.</p>
<p>Now, it's come to light that the new EA UFC game has similarly nasty lootbox schemes in their game, as well. &nbsp;Not only that, but all of the EA sports titles, going back to UEFA 2007, have also included Ultimate Team, which was the pilot for this. &nbsp;If you haven't seen SkillUp's video about this, you definitely should. &nbsp;It's a well researched half-hour of information that paints a very detailed story. &nbsp;You can see it below:</p>
<p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTLFNlu2N_M</p>
<p>Now, here's where things get interesting. On a purely hypothetical note, should EA's lootbox progression system be considered gambling, it will have a very chilling effect on EA's titles. &nbsp;Currently, there are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AO-rated_video_games">29 titles rated AO (adults only) by the ESRB ratings board</a>. Of these 29, one was cancelled (Thrill Kill), Three are uncut director's editions (Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy, Manhunt 2, Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude), and one is video book of the 1979 The Joy of Sex for Phillips CDi. &nbsp;But what stands out is Peak Entertainment Casinos. &nbsp;They are an online casino that involves gambling real money. &nbsp;They submitted their site for an ESRB rating of AO in what was a largely symbolic gesture that they do not permit underage gambling.</p>
<p>It is this symbolic gesture that catches my attention. &nbsp;The main reason being that precedent is now set for gambling to get an automatic AO rating. &nbsp;There is also precedent for a game to retroactively receive an AO rating (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas due to the "Hot Coffee" scandal). &nbsp;Should the ESRB so decide (or if they're pushed by a politician), any EA title with lootbox based progression COULD (emphasis on could) be handed a retroactive AO rating. &nbsp;Currently, no US retailer of video games will stock or sell an AO rated game. Gamestop would have to trash all their copies of Madden from the past four years. &nbsp;FIFA would go back even further. &nbsp;You wouldn't be able to buy new EA sports titles unless you're over the age of 21, and even then, it wouldn't be from retail. &nbsp;You'd have to go through underground online distributors. &nbsp;Console releases would also be blocked, because neither Sony nor Nintendo nor Microsoft will allow AO rated games on their platforms.</p>
<p>Do I think this is likely to happen? &nbsp;Not particularly. &nbsp;They have already ruled internally that <a href="https://gamerant.com/loot-box-gambling-esrb/">lootboxes do not equate to gambling</a>, and likely won't change course unless a government entity steps in. &nbsp;Still, it's an interesting topic. &nbsp;There's so much precedent already set that such a course is not just possible, it's very, VERY feasible.</p>
<p>Now, another possible outcome from such a thing: retailers opt to allow AO rated games to be sold on their shelves. &nbsp;<a href="http://treasurebin.blogspot.com/2012/03/ao-ratings-should-they-really-be-kiss.html">I wrote about this back in 2012</a>, and I still believe such an outcome is possible and worth pursuing. &nbsp;I would love to see opportunities for content creators to create their actual vision, rather than curtail their design to appease some government censor.</p>
<p>*Do you own a gaming news site? &nbsp;Do you want to see this article on your site? &nbsp;Email me: ddrfr33k@gmail.com*</p>
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👍 hr1, cub1, remlaps1, cmp2020, originalworks, jout, remlaps2, lisa.palmer, anomaly, ddrfr33k

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@jout · Dec 13 '17

$0.59

This post has received gratitude of 1.00 % from @jout

👍 postpromoter, ddrfr33k

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@ddrfr33k · Dec 13 '17

Thank you!

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@postpromoter · Dec 19 '17

re-jout-re-ddrfr33k-ea-lootboxes-and-the-unforseen-consequences-20171213t213248779z-20171219t044045409z

You got a 0.08% upvote from @postpromoter courtesy of @jout!

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@ddrfr33k · Dec 13 '17

@Originalworks

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@originalworks · Dec 13 '17

originalworks

The @OriginalWorks bot has determined this post by @ddrfr33k to be original material and upvoted(1.5%) it! 
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