Yes, and I still play.... not even remotely comparable... we are talking about games you play at home.

In games you give a coin to play in establishment, aka rent a machine for a given time. Pretty clear. Before that you had pinballs, pool halls, and more. Same concept, but everyone was equal and progression was dependent on your skill.

With today loot boxes a you pay "for something random" so you can get some kind of desirable upgrade, or advantage, otherwise you will have to grind your way to the game...