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STO is not rated by the ESRB because its an online-only game
hojain2020
Member Posts: 417 Arc User
Dear Devs, Considering the gambling prevalent in the features of this game I was just wondering what friendly advice would you give about what age group this game should be played from ? 12, 16, 18 , 21 ?
Im a concerned parent who is a trek fan of course and an editor and has a family full of star trek fans.
considering what ive seen of the new upgrade systems and ships acquisitions etc etc ive been making it a point to peruse through my kids and nephews accounts ... especially to check if they are buying r and d boxes/etc/etc for a "chance" to get certain things. Ive banned most of them from even loggin on to the game through house wi fi security etc but I would like some form of age rating from you devs.
Thank You.
Im a concerned parent who is a trek fan of course and an editor and has a family full of star trek fans.
considering what ive seen of the new upgrade systems and ships acquisitions etc etc ive been making it a point to peruse through my kids and nephews accounts ... especially to check if they are buying r and d boxes/etc/etc for a "chance" to get certain things. Ive banned most of them from even loggin on to the game through house wi fi security etc but I would like some form of age rating from you devs.
Thank You.
STO NPC AI LEVEL--->
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If you object to online gambling then you should add Star Trek Online to your list of banned games.
STO promotes gambling. It's not required, I personally don't take part in it, but it's heavily promoted and encouraged.
Why don't you decide what is age appropriate for your children.
Or take out the payment information so they need your permission.
Hmm that was what i was afraid of.... very old school asian style cover up system in place for this game's gambling technique. lobi (5 -20) ( a few dresses) and (a few r and d tokens) but the real kicker is the low percentage (gotta be less than 3 percent ) "game changer item" or at least "something important item" or "something fun item" added to the mix. lol you are quite right this game is banned in all its glory for my family .....thanks for the info.
Im surprised this system is still in place in the US.
Not to worry dear sir i have it well under control. Just a little surprising that ratings for these kind of online gambling games seem to vanish into thin air on steam and other sites because of a few legal technicalities.
Don't put any credit card info the ARC system and your good to go.
The only way they would be able to get Lockbox Keys is by saving up Millions of EC's and buying them on the exchange.
(no actual money will have been lost from your family's income)
Seems a bit harsh to punish your kids cause you apparently can't be bothered to keep them from using your credit cards.
I Was A Trekkie Before It Was Cool ... Sept. 8th, 1966 ... Not To Mention Before Most Folks Around Here Were Born!
Forever a STO Veteran-Minion
You could also actually Explain to them that the Lockboxes are not guaranteed to give out the BIG Prize and it is very unlikely that one would get it.
I Was A Trekkie Before It Was Cool ... Sept. 8th, 1966 ... Not To Mention Before Most Folks Around Here Were Born!
Forever a STO Veteran-Minion
You obviously are an old man tired and dry !! ;-) i remember your patronizing attitude from long ago! dude gtfo of this post ..but thanks for your two bit information.
Interesting, I ask a serious question and you come back with insults...
Your kids obviously have more problems to concern them, than not buying Lockboxes from a game.
BTW: I wasn't even close to being patronizing...
:rolleyes:
I Was A Trekkie Before It Was Cool ... Sept. 8th, 1966 ... Not To Mention Before Most Folks Around Here Were Born!
Forever a STO Veteran-Minion
Just control what C-Store purchases that your family makes if you want them to play. Lots of us don't bother with lockboxes since every single item in the Lockbox is available through the Exchange with Energy Credits. There are some items in the Lobi Store that are bind on pickup, but that is it. If we do bother with Lockbox keys, then it is usually to sell them on the exchange so we can buy a lockbox ship on the exchange. For a lockbox ship that costs 80 million Energy Credits on the exchange, it costs less than $32 if Lockbox Keys sell at 2.5 million EC per key or less than $53 if Lockbox Keys sell at 1.5 million EC per key if you buy them during the sale going on right now. However the current valuable ship is through the R&D Packs so they usually cost around 400 million to 500 million Energy Credits to purchase and far more than that when the R&D event ends.
Because of the gambling I would say 21
If it wasn't for the gambling it could be 12
Saphire.. Science ground......Ko'el Romulan space Tac
Leva........Tactical ground.....Koj Romulan space Eng
JJ-Verse will never be Canon or considered Lore...It will always be JJ-Verse
Let the kid spend some hard earned mil on a key, open a box hoping for the ship.... and have nothing. Be there, and explain them how the gamble works, and how the house always win.
Except you are unlucky, and the kid open the ship. But then, that's a 0.5% chance of happening. In fact, it may be even better, as the kid will probably open another box, thinking he will have another one. At some point, he'll start dropping ships, and you'll be there to explain it to him (chances are, he'll be frustrated it didn't work all the time).
As long as you are there to explain them the gamble part, this game is fine for 10yo kids I think. No hard word or anything sexually related, except for the Orion. Even Risa for a kid is just a place to swim, so bikinis are fine. And then, you can always explain for the Orion (I mean, not the sex slave part, mind you).
Remember to disable zone chat though. Perhaps PM to. You don't want to expose a young brain to that much stupidity.
I would agree withyou dear sir but in some parts of asia there is this happening = my kids have their own credit cards and I have to teach them what is gambling and what is risk and what is sleazeball money grubbing and what is good star trek. And no im not chinese or hong kongese lol. It does help that ESRB notices are made clear for certain online games that deliberately fluff the line on what is 5 or 20 lobi and what is gambling ..if you catch my drift.
I think in all honesty you have answered my actual question. thankyou. my worry here is that you listen to a rule set that was set to you by cryptic/PWE a gaming company im well versed with here in Asia. (they will delete this post very soon)
What can we do here except talking about it.
And for games on the european market, there's also PEGI: http://www.pegi.info/en/index/global_id/505/?searchString=star+trek+online
ahh ..... do the links open up? and what are the dates for their validity? and really..? you trust Europe?
In the process fellow gamer ;-) but the law in the US seems to have been subervted very diligently... feels like the work of a Yale lawyer ;-)
You have to realize it's not gambling.
And I know what you're going to scream. "YES IT IS, YOU GAMBLE ON A CHANCE FOR PRIZES!!!"
Except...
The definition of gambling, unless changed by statute, consists of any activity with three elements: consideration, chance, and prize.
If you remove any of the elements, it is no longer gambling.
The traditional formula - "payment of a price for a chance to win a prize" - neatly sums up the three necessary elements: consideration, chance, and prize.
In the case of lockboxes, you're removing Chance element. You always win when you open a lockbox. You're paying for the key to exchange for Lobi Crystals when you open the box. You also happen to get a random prize when you do.
You are paying for the Lobi Crystals. Anything else is a bonus prize. There is no gambling.
but I wanted the shiny ship not lobi.
if I stop posting it doesn't make you right it. just means I don't have enough rum to continue interacting with you.
Every time I see one of these, "STO is gambling! :mad:" threads, I laugh out loud. The only reason for one of these threads is sour grapes complaining. Because the new shiny they want so desperately, since it gets girls to notice them and makes them cool at last, wasn't inside the first LockBox they opened. And they went and spent Real Money, too!
I don't play the LockBox game. Never have, never will. But I will happily drop US $50.00 on Zen for Keys which I then sell on the Exchange to people who do. Thanks to the people who open LockBoxes and then post threads like this, I have nearly every single desirable LockBox ship. Which I purchased off the Exchange. The only LockBox ship I don't have is the Adapted Battlecruiser.
And OP, if it does turn out you are correct and STO really is gambling, the first thing which happens afterwards is the Gov't will shut down STO. Not remove the LockBoxes. Not give you the shiny you want. And not allow the game to continue to be offered to the public without some form of subscription. So you and all your buddies are only attempting to get yourselves and a lot of other people shut out of the game.
How's that workin' out for y'all? Not too good!
Pretty much like you participate to a lottery for a new car, you know the kind that advertise as "you win something everytime", and ends up with a reduction for your next meal in the nearest fast food. Pretty sure you did it for the car, not for the fast food meal.
I'm sure it's not considered officially as gambling, because you always win something (in some MMOs those box are even called "mistery box", as in you open one never knowing what you'll have, and not for the big prize). No matter how they twist the truth to make it legal, it's still gambling for a large majority of player.
And that's exactly why it's so successful.
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