UK Goverenment responds to gambling in video games

It's over folks.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/201300?reveal_response=yes

Other urls found in this thread:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsive_buying_disorder
twitter.com/NSFWRedditVideo

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That makes several countries where its considered gambling.

where's the tl;dr version

>britbongs peitions against lootboxes
>gubment decides they are innit

So, in other words, they're letting the video games industry know they're open to bribes and negotiation on potential cuts they can take.

Wonderful.

First time I agree with the bongs, what a time to be alive.

How long till the U.S follows?

As a bong I can tell you that statement means fuck all and you'll never hear anything about it ever again.

I love this meme

people who want to regulate lootboxes are literally calling themselves too retarded to control their own actions. It's a meme were retards call themselves retarded and get mad if you stop calling them that.

me? I just don't buy things If i don't like them.

Your line of argument has been debunked over and over in every single thread. Kys. Want it explained why it's stupid? Go check the archives.

>missing the point
It has more to do with sticking it to the companies who are fucking gaming in the ass, user. "Voting with your wallet" is just a meme at this point.

It is THEM they have to worry about. I'm sure most everyone on Sup Forums has either: never bought a lootbox or only a very small amount (say less than 50 bucks over all).

It's everyone else. The people that are literally too stupid to stop themselves, or the ones that are addicted, etc.

I've bought a few lootboxes in my life, less than 30 dollars in the entire time I've ever played games (18+yrs) is about how much I've spent on them. But there's other people that spend hundreds/thousands.

A small group of people are too retarded to control their own actions and that's who the AAA devs are trying to appeal to at the expense of every other person who plays video games.

It goes like this:

>devs make game containing loot boxes
>dumbfucks purchase lootboxes because they have no self-control/narcissism
>devs realize they can make way more money from their games if they make every future game with lootboxes
>other devs realize this too and do the same as the first devs

Next thing you know every future game will have lootboxes.

It's objectively not gambling though, you always get something worth more than what you paid.

Would you rather have a .03 cent skin or a $100 skin?

Oh wow, it's nothing

You don't seem to understand what gambling is.

It's when you pay money for a chance of something. Even if that "something" is to lose all your money and get nothing. Lootboxes are gambling. You pay X money for Y amount of items of Z quality (and the Z quality is very typically set up to be something like 95% chance of shit drops, 5% chance of anything worthwhile). There's no value in the 95% chance items, they are way more than likely not even worth the same amount of money you put in to get those 95% items. But that 5%, now that's the money, it could easily be double, triple, quadruple, etc, what you put in. And that's where the gambling comes in. You pay X money for a chance to win big; which you more than likely never will. Etc.

I don't even think that people making these "they're not gambling" posts are even aware how stupid they are.

>Next thing you know every future game will have things for sale that you don't have to buy

>whales funding games so that everyone else can enjoy it f2p or at a reduced cost or with free additional content/expansions

Their is no argument that beats "just don't buy it" Anyone attempting to try is just anally annihilated that a business is making money. Like the people who are the most mad aren't even buying this shit anyway. Stop getting mad on someone elses behalf because even they aren't mad since they decided to purchase it in the first place.

One thing you need to know about the British government is that it will tell you everything you want to hear and then never do it.
You think Brexit's actually going to happen? No chance.

What game has lootboxes like that? I'd love to play it!

>Too retarded to regulate their own actions
What the fuck are you talking about? I have spend exactly zero dollars on loot boxes. That doesn't mean I want them in my video games.

>Consumer protections
>in the USA

funny joke

You not wanting them in video games doesn't matter. This isn't some free labour of love business. The only way video games have even gotten to this point is because its profitable. The only reason everything you have ever enjoyed and wanted has happened because of lootboxes and its previous incarnations.

yes I agree fellow goyim who is a representative of the common people like me

Letting those whales (whales IMO should be defined as someone who routinely spends on micros or who puts in more than 500+ dollars into micros for any one game) have the free ability to buy whatever whenever they want is going to force out the people that don't buy. Devs will get more bold in their micros, and section of parts of games to be micros. Want to change the options? Pay a buck to unlock the options menu. Want to join a multiplayer game? Pay 25c to join. Want to play the next mission of the campaign? Pay 2 bucks. Etc.

All the whales and people that spend 50-100+ dollars on micros are telling the devs "yeah, this is good, keep it coming" and they WILL make it a mainstay or try and shit up games even more. Anyone who isn't buying isn't solving anything. Sure they're not giving in any money, but who cares if 10,000 gamers aren't paying for micros when only 5,000 whales are spending triple+ the amount of money the game even costs on micros?

>Doesn't matter
Except it does, shill. Mean not wanting it in my video games means I'm now going to go out of my way to make sure it's gone. If it takes government regulation/taxation/whatever, then so fucking be it.

Just because you're stupid enough to believe there's no counter point to your argument doesn't make it true.

I doubt they regulate a market that doesnt tax evade, they would be retarded to do so

>i want more government regulations

Actually I just want the governments of the world to legally mandate that gaming is made great again, and not some American Dream of microtransactions out the ass and DLC where you kiss publisher CEO asses. They'd be console exclusive DLCs by the by, so all the white kids can by three copies of each DLC exclusive to their system so they can stick it to other white kids with other systems doing the exact same shit.

If the governments of the world are the ones giving EA their next golden turd, I'm all for it.

good, I hope the greedy fucks crash and burn

>I'm now going to go out of my way to make sure it's gone

Okay all of everything else thats being discussed in this thread aside. We all know you aren't going to actually do anything my guy.

>i want less government regulations

m8 here is the deal

regulations exist and its called self restraint. You don't need more regulation than that.

Self restraint = base game
Additional regulation = DLC/Lootboxes

>The only way video games have even gotten to this point is because its profitable.

You realize that you're in a place that HATES what video games have become and wishes we never got to this point, right? I mean, they gave you a fucking guidebook on the websites you're supposed to shill on, yes? A big book of secrets on how to ingratiate yourself into the various communities so you can say "REEE JUST LET ME MAKE MONEY!" in the most palatable way? Or did the guides come in lootboxes and your pay of .5 cents a post meant you couldn't afford a key yet? Thought you'd just wing it on Sup Forums, how hard could it be?

>We all know
Fuck off faggot. Not all of us are uninspired NEETs like you are.

There are people who have no restraint and thus game devs market to them in which case causes games to be even shittier.

Remember when games just used to be games with no bullshit DLC? Even then games with DLC were good if not average.

Some people LITERALLY DO NOT HAVE RESTRAINT

That's who the problem comes from! These retards that spend hundreds (or even thousands!) of dollars on lootboxes/other micros because they just can't stop. The problem isn't the occasional buyer of "I have an extra fiver, I'll buy some CSGO crates!" the problem isn't people who never buy them, it's people that literally can't NOT buy them; or who are just such slaves to the game they force themselves to buy them.

How do you not see this?

ok so what are you going to do. Help everyone out in the thread.

You're assuming there's enough rational actors for your desired outcome when in reality there isn't because consumers are not rational nor knowledgeable which is why free market, or "Lmao just don't buy it", doesn't work. Go fuck off back to whatever retarded site spawned you.

It doesnt matter if you dont buy them, some other retard will

It's like calling a UK customer support line and saying you will receive a callback. Won't hear jackshit.

Because thats not a problem. You don't get rid of alcohol, gambling, or perscription drugs. You work with the person because they are/have the problem.

They said that where the facility exists to cash in your items (Counter Strike) then it is gambling. If you open your loot box for items and the facilities aren’t there to turn than into cash, it’s not gambling but they are monitoring the situation closely.

>Where the facility exists for players of video games to purchase a key to unlock a bundle containing an unknown quantity and value of in-game items as a prize, and where there are readily accessible opportunities to cash in or exchange those awarded in-game items for money or money’s worth, then these elements of the game are likely to be considered licensable gambling activities.

Rest in fucking peace.

I honestly don't give a fucking shit if the government rubs its greasy dick all over the industry and ruins video games. We could've had a good thing but gaming companies and people defending lootboxes have ruined this shit beyond the point of no return. So fuck it.

its even worse than that - they dont like what SOMEONE ELSE is doing so they want the government to interfere and make it illegal

>buy $1.50 key
>get $0.20 skin
>thinkingman.tiff
Hmmmmmmmmm

Yea I remember when games had such shit budgets with no voice acting or teams so small so many features had to be cut and with such small scale that playing them in 2017 they don't hold up at all.

This is progress made by having games become more profitable. More games are made. Larger games are made. Games are literally free now a days.

bro there's lootboxes in singleplayer games now, this shit needs to stop

>literally calling themselves too retarded to control their own actions
No, it's calling other people too retarded to control their own actions, "just don't buy it" was what people said with Horse Armor and now look where we are.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsive_buying_disorder
Really, we should be regulating all purchases this way. After all, some people have no self-restraint, and that means the government needs to step in and protect everyone from the evil merchant offering his wares

It's a closed system so you're not really getting anything worth money. The best loot box system is easily tf2 even if it ruined the atmosphere of the game. It's pseudo-gambling.

how is gaming ruined

like 98% of lootboxes contain cosmetics. Its only a few games where lootboxes have items that fuck up the game and even then those games die on their own because nobody wants to put up with that so those games are only around temporarily and they fix themselves.

Can someone explain to me how video games are ruined by lootboxes?

Maybe I just don't want to see my hobby turned completely into a crass monetization scheme designed to prey on weaknesses in human psychology.

If you think these people think they have a problem you're dead wrong. And with how easy it is to buy shit on steam/other games to get your lootbox (especially if you already have CC info saved for quick buying) you can spend hundreds of dollars in about 10min without even realizing what you've done.

Yes, the person has a problem. But that doesn't mean the game/devs are making it any better or easier for them to stop; hell they make it as easy and as enjoyable as possible. It's a trap, and they know it, they want them to fall down the hole and never recover. That's why there needs to be some kind of regulation; or better yet, for them to be forced out of all of gaming (how? not sure, but that's my opinion).

Also, I know some places will actually not let patrons in to gamble/buy alcohol if they know the person has a huge problem. It isn't most places, but some places will kick a bastard out.

>uk government
Meaning nothing will happen.

But thats literally every game ever made. Every game ever made has been made so they can sell it to you and make you give them your money. Their has never been a day where gaming has not been monetized.

what the fuck.

You know you lost your argument when you resort to a false dichotomy.

Explain to me what about this makes it false. In both cases someone is incapable of preventing themselves from making a purchase. By your logic, the government should step in to handle this problem.

We ban kids from casinos and race tracks too, kids are dumb and don't understand the value of their mum's magic card.

>still not recognised as gambling

it's only over 4u(k)

>Where the facility exists for players of video games to purchase a key to unlock a bundle containing an unknown quantity and value of in-game items as a prize, and where there are readily accessible opportunities to cash in or exchange those awarded in-game items for money or money’s worth, then these elements of the game are likely to be considered licensable gambling activities. In contrast, where prizes are restricted for use solely within the game, such in-game features would not be licensable gambling.

Looks like it's fine as long as players can't easily trade between each other.

Don't forget

judge said its not gambling because you are guaranteed to get something back every time. If you had a chance to get nothing back thats when it becomes gambling. Not my words just saying.

this would be fine for me if the base game wasn't actually touched but thats never the case as we seen with day 1 dlc, locked dlc on disk, making the base game shit to sell the microtransactions etc.

wow Sup Forums is cucked as hell

So if a slot machine always dispensed at least a single coin/token, it'd cease to be gambling? You could line a public street with them, no problem?

It's just cosmetic, bro.

This is surley going to be the extent of DLC.

Even with Counterstrike though, the cash has to stay within Steam. People aren't actually making hundreds of dollars on skins and then throwing it in the bank.

>you always get something worth more than what you paid.

Is there a single game where this is true

fuck it guys

I hope the UN regulates vidya so much that companies are forced to only sell base games at no more than 60 USD.

I can't wait for the gaming industry to get cut in half. And then down to 15% from today after 15 years.

THank god. Although i kinda wish it would fail since gaming deserves this. Theres far too many cucks, bleed them fucking dry.

Then why is gambling regulated if people can just choose to not gamble newfriend?

>You don't get rid of alcohol, gambling, or perscription drugs.
No, you REGULATE them.

Why? So that you CAN work with the person who has the problem.

You're literally arguing against yourself. If the legal and physical infrastructures do not exist to work with people who have issues, you cannot do it. Those infrastructures are called "regulation".

>Every game ever made has been made so they can sell it to you and make you give them your money.

First of all that's not true. There's plenty of games that have been produced and released for free completely out of passion. Ever hear of Dwarf Fortress?

Secondly, the keyword here is crass. There's a big difference between making a complete product and selling it for money vs. selling a product and then continuing to use that product to extract additional, potentially limitless revenue from consumers via microtransactions, lootboxes and other such cancer.

don't post at me

send the judge your autism mail bro

Google what a false dichotomy is then explain to me why there are no alternatives aside from complete Government regulation of an entire economy or a free market system.
Also tell me how loot boxes, which is pseudo-gambling, is comparable to someone going out and buying random shit like clothes and electronics when there's actually casinos which are regulated.
You can't because it's a false equivalence.
You only know how to argue in fallacies.

>You think Brexit's actually going to happen? No chance.
actual fucking mong

Also games will become grindy so people are forced to buy lootboxes, just like what's happening to shadow of war. So it affects people who don't buy lootboxes too.

They're basically tacking on lootboxes onto any big project they know people will buy because they are either fans of the series or the franchise where there's a game being made around. They then tweak the game, droprate and loot effects in such a way to maximize the impact it can have on the part of your brain that floods you with chemicals whenever you gamble.

I'd be less upset if they made entirely new franchises and then put this shit in it, they are specifically going for games with brand loyalty behind them to put you in the position of either going "If you want to buy your yearly you're gonna have to deal with lootboxes now familia."

It's gotten so bad and there's so many shortsighted apologists this is only going to get much, much worse. So seeing these companies getting dicked in the ass cause their greed pushed this shit so far that the government found an opening to finally get the industry under their thumb ( something they've been trying for like 15 years ). I say they deserve it.

and what do you faggots propose, that the government steps in and bans shitty practices in vidya
the fact is that the majority of consumers are dumb and companies will always profit off that

Look up OPskins, child, you can sell skins and the profits go to your paypal, it's Valve approved too

You'd have to see if the SCOTUS had ruled on that which I'm sure they have, otherwise someone will have to challenge that ruling which may or may not be viewed by the SCOTUS.

Loot boxes are only the tip of the iceburg. Scientific Revenue is going to be fun.

>I can't wait for the gaming industry to get cut in half.
that would be a good thing, it would keep out all the trash that is surfacing on Steam

back then people only made games because they cared and had money, not because they wanted to get rich with scummy tactics

>pseudo-gambling=gambling
That's a real false equivalence.
You're claiming that literally anything with a random element should be regulated like gambling. MtG cards, kinder surprise, cracker jacks, every kind of gacha digital and physical, chuckie cheese, boxes of assorted chocolates, all of it. And you still can't actually show a difference between someone who is compulsively driven to buy loot boxes and someone who is compulsively driven to buy clothes, because practically there isn't one. The only difference is that loot boxes bother you personally.

>In-game items that can be converted into cash or traded for items of real-world value must be licensed by the Gambling Commission.

Sounds pretty clear to me.

For me it's pretty much vindictiveness at this point. The government has been trying to dick around with the gaming industry for decades now and consumers have always supported the industry and pushed back against the government. Our reward in 2017 is that our favorite franchises are being tweaked into honeypots trying to tickle the part of your brain that makes you susceptable to gambling.

if it was that easy someone would already done it and everyone follow

So all of it?

based

Everything people want, digital or no has real-world value. Look at bitcoin.

Basically, yeah.

They state that they're "Monitoring closely" those that are doing it without a license.

Oh well in that case, by all means get fucked

>Games with loot boxes are given the 18+ or equivalent ratings due to gambling and will require age verification on purchase
>No more children in online games

>Where the facility exists for players of video games to purchase a key to unlock a bundle containing an unknown quantity and value of in-game items as a prize, and where there are readily accessible opportunities to cash in or exchange those awarded in-game items for money or money’s worth, then these elements of the game are likely to be considered licensable gambling activities. In contrast, where prizes are restricted for use solely within the game, such in-game features would not be licensable gambling. The Gambling Commission is committed to working with the video game industry to prevent gambling-related harm related to their platforms.

So this would do nothing for most of the games I see everyone talking about, right? Assassin's Creed, Overwatch, Shadow of War, those are skins or gameplay items that you can't easily exchange those items for real life money. I could only see Valve being concerned due to how the Steam Market works.

>Yeah we'll keep an eye on it, whatever.
Wow, it's fucking nothing.