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[Article] How manipulative design is ruining modern mmorpgs

Ard Tiarna de na Ulchabhan Buí
Elth
Ard Tiarna de na Ulchabhan Buí
Posted On: 05/07/2016 at 11:33 PM
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How manipulative design is ruining modern MMORPGs

 

I Spotted this article today on Reddit and felt that it was worth sharing.  It's an interesting discussion that needs to be had between the developer and player communities, I know I got pretty tired of the manipulation and it has turned me away from MMOs and even Multiplayer games in recent years.  I miss the social aspect of playing with friends and family in online games, but the psychological battle against modern game design is exhausting.

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Response:

Laoch de na Iolair Buí
Sekkerhund
Laoch de na Iolair Buí
  • GW2: Sekkerhund.3790
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Replied On: 05/08/2016 at 09:51 PM PDT
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I have to admit, that I have considered finding out who regulates online "gambling" services and look into filing a formal complaint against game developers' design and sales of these "loot boxes", especially if they are operating without a proper gambling license.  Since online gambling is illegal in the U.S., that would put a lot of developers in violation of our laws, if not international laws.

I'm sure there are slick lawyers who can argue against the fact that these RNG loot boxes actually do constitute "online gambling", but there are also slick lawyers who might be able to argue that they are a "grey area" gambling service, versus being a purchasable product of a random nature, and their sales should at least be regulated by licensing and fees (therefore making them less profitable to sell), if not completely banned.

I'm all for game developers making a reasonable profit on their product, but when they start selling random chances, that sometimes even result in a loss of a virtual item (ie. Archeage's regrading system), then they are participating in shady business practices and should be investigated and either subjected to punitive actions, or be regulated.

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Laoch de na Iolair Buí
Sekkerhund
Laoch de na Iolair Buí
  • GW2: Sekkerhund.3790
  • ESO: @Sekkerhund
Replied On: 05/09/2016 at 01:45 PM PDT
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I forgot to include the core point of my criticism.

Most RNG boxes cost roughly $3-5 USD worth of virtual currency.  The minimum value of items contained in the boxes, usually are only worth a fraction of the box cost.  Many Developers quantify that cost, with the fact that players can also buy the product using virtual currency obtained from using in-game currency.  In other words, they don't have to buy credits with RL $USD, they can buy credits with gold, therefore it's not actually gambling with real money.

My argument has always been, that if the value of any item contained in a RNG "chance box" does not meet the real money cost of the box, then it constitutes a real money financial loss, which when coupled with a "mini-game", involving random luck, then it does indeed qualify as "gambling" and should therefore be subject to regulation.

Whether or not the player has a choice of using RL currency or in-game currency is moot.  Especially considering that the currency for a game's item store is initially purchased with real currency, regardless of it's conversion methods. 

For example, a player buys a "token" item worth 1000 units of game store currency, for $10 USD, and trades it to another player for in-game currency, who then uses the item to gain 1000 units of game store currency... it's actually a form of money laundering, to be perfectly honest.

So basically, you're spending real money on a chance to get an item of higher value, than the purchase of the product.  The risks are that you will gain an item of less value than the purchase.  That involves both financial gain and loss and therefore does constitute "gambling" and should be subject to law and appropriate licensing and community warnings.

 



» Edited on: 2016-05-09 13:55:01

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