Loot boxes a matter of “life or death,” says researcher

Re:Loot boxes a matter of “life or death,” says researcher by program_whiz on Monday August 12, 2019 @11:42AM (#20676448)

Its also life-or-death for much of the game industry. The same way most restaurants and fast food chains wouldn't be able to exist without "cheap tricks" targeting primitive brain circuity (e.g. MSG, sweeteners, frying), most game studios would not be able to survive based on box sales alone. They need a skinner-box to extract more money out of people. Creating a game that is compelling enough to extract ever-increasing value out of people based on content, quality, and narrative alone is extremely difficult. Making a "random loot box" system is extremely easy and pays far more, even though its the "easy way out". Of course, like fast food and cigarettes / drugs, the consumers also bear responsibility. Rather than supporting "clean" games with something noble to offer, the games that exploited these tricks virtually printed money, while the "old timey" approach of spending years making a quality title gave way to the more casino-like interactions we see today. The truth is fast food, drugs, and gambling are just more fun than home-cooked nutritious meals, healthy habits, and deep/challenging engagement.

Pretty much everything fits these patterns of reduction to the basic animalistic appeal: movies, music, clothing/attire, dating apps, even our politics. Its just easier and more effective to appeal to the limbic system than to figure out something new and profound.

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Re:Loot boxes a matter of “life or death,” says researcher by EpicEng on Monday August 12, 2019 @01:41PM (#20677855)

>most game studios would not be able to survive based on box sales alone.

Where are you getting that? It's the basis of your entire argument and there's nothing to back it up. The loot box model is relatively new and we have a plethora of successful games (most) which don't use them at all.

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Re:Loot boxes a matter of “life or death,” says researcher by falcolas on Monday August 12, 2019 @12:25PM (#20676918)

This has been proven false multiple times, including EA explaining to their investors that removing lootboxes from Battlefront 2 had no material impact on the profitability of the game.

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Re:Loot boxes a matter of “life or death,” says researcher by lawtalkinghuman on Tuesday August 13, 2019 @08:37AM (#20685174)

In 1999, I could go into a game shop and pay £40 for a finished game with a story.

In 2019, it costs £60 (or more for a "gold edition" or whatever). It isn't finished, has colossal bugs that require 50 GB patches just after launch, barely has a story (because listening to 13-year-olds shout ethnic slurs at one another is the new having a well-written story—and every developer thinks stories are passé and we all want "Live Services") and then tries to use psychological tricks to try and induce a gambling addiction.

I opt out and play the old games from the 90s and early 2000s that don't do all this BS.

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Re:Loot boxes a matter of “life or death,” says researcher by UncleMeat on Tuesday August 13, 2019 @03:02PM (#20689132)

Ultima retailed for $80 in the 80s. Prices have been fairly flat, ignoring inflation, for decades.

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Re:Loot boxes a matter of “life or death,” says researcher by shultays on Monday August 12, 2019 @12:10PM (#20676749)

Games that dont have loot boxes outnumbers the ones that do. And there are definetely very good aaa examples in such games. Those games/companies survives just fine.

And it is not like all games that have loot boxes games are f2p game. Quite a bit of them are full price games + lootboxes

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Re:Loot boxes a matter of “life or death,” says researcher by celticmusic on Monday August 12, 2019 @11:46AM (#20676487)

they could survive on box sales alone, but they would have to change back to what they used to be.

edit: And let me point out, you can make money online without lootboxes, plenty of companies do, so it's not as if the revenue stream completely disappears.

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Re:Loot boxes a matter of “life or death,” says researcher by ebiester on Monday August 12, 2019 @11:56AM (#20676602)

It is all about if people will be willing to have less detailed games or pay 90-100 dollars for the same games, or increased subscriptions.

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Re:Loot boxes a matter of “life or death,” says researcher by Dylan16807 on Monday August 12, 2019 @12:11PM (#20676759)

Or fewer AAA games.

And once your art budget is in the tens of millions, 'less detailed' is often a pretty small difference.

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Re:Loot boxes a matter of “life or death,” says researcher by rubbingalcohol on Monday August 12, 2019 @11:59AM (#20676634)

They could just charge more for the games. Video games used to be a lot more expensive in the 1990s and people still bought them.

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Re:Loot boxes a matter of “life or death,” says researcher by pbhjpbhj on Monday August 12, 2019 @12:56PM (#20677322)

Did they? I remember then being £20-30 (GBP), whilst now they're £60. I'm sure the cost of living hasn't doubled??

I only got my first game system, N64, at the end of the 90s though.

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Re:Loot boxes a matter of “life or death,” says researcher by bart_spoon on Monday August 12, 2019 @02:58PM (#20678667)

Can't speak for the UK, but in the US, I remember a typical game was $50 new when I was growing up in the late 90's, compared to $60 today. According to an inflation calculator, that same game in 1999 would cost $77.

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Re:Loot boxes a matter of “life or death,” says researcher by pbhjpbhj on Monday August 12, 2019 @05:14PM (#20680074)

I can't find figures for UK but MSRP for Ocarina of Time and Breath of the Wild were both $60.

I think my, apparently false, view comes from getting in well after launch on N64.

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Re:Loot boxes a matter of “life or death,” says researcher by EpicEng on Tuesday August 13, 2019 @11:04AM (#20686509)

In the US, yes. Games have not increased in price alongside inflation. I recall paying $80 for certain Nintendo (NES) games. Most new games were $60.

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Re:Loot boxes a matter of “life or death,” says researcher by zuuow on Monday August 12, 2019 @11:50AM (#20676529)

Whatever happens with WoW Classic will echo across the industry.

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