Depending on the regulation, the mechanics could be left entirely unchanged, but Cryptic might have to pay a gambling tax on its revenue and alter the game's rating to "for mature audience" or something like that. The latter has an effect on how and where Star Trek Online can be advertised, the former simply costs them money.
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
Depending on the regulation, the mechanics could be left entirely unchanged, but Cryptic might have to pay a gambling tax on its revenue and alter the game's rating to "for mature audience" or something like that. The latter has an effect on how and where Star Trek Online can be advertised, the former simply costs them money.
Absolutely, but don't forget, as with all businesses, costs get passed down to the customer in one way or another
"I fight for the Users!" - Tron
"I was here before you, I will be here after you are gone. I am here, regardless of your acknowledgement or acceptance..." - The Truth
This whole concept of blaming the company for something entirely in control of the player is beyond stupid.
Personal Accountability's not a big thing these days... Some folks've always got to be able to blame someone else, and play the victim, rather than just deal with it themself, or exercising self-restraint :-\ It's intellectual and emotional socialism: Someone else will pick up the tab :-\
"I fight for the Users!" - Tron
"I was here before you, I will be here after you are gone. I am here, regardless of your acknowledgement or acceptance..." - The Truth
The most that will happen is slapping an 18+ sticker on the game.
More like 8+...
Redvenge's assessment is off in one very specific way: loot boxes are bought by people with the money to pay for them. Sure there are peeps who are willing to spend 1k a year on stuff like that.... they're also the sort of people who think a thousand dollars is a minor expense. They're called whales because they have the means to afford it. Calling it "predatory marketing" is a false flag. Your so-called victims aren't the people who actually spend the most.
That is assuming that parents are intelligent and don't allow kids the use of their credit cards to make outrageous purchases like spending thousands of dollars in a mobile game. Once parents lose control of their credit card, then it is not just whales that purchase tons of loot boxes and other virtual items.
> @markhawkman said: > azrael605 wrote: » > > The most that will happen is slapping an 18+ sticker on the game. > > > > More like 8+... > > Redvenge's assessment is off in one very specific way: loot boxes are bought by people with the money to pay for them. Sure there are peeps who are willing to spend 1k a year on stuff like that.... they're also the sort of people who think a thousand dollars is a minor expense. They're called whales because they have the means to afford it. Calling it "predatory marketing" is a false flag. Your so-called victims aren't the people who actually spend the most.
I agree with this. Working through the system to exchange DI for Zen is too slow of a process for me, but that’s ok with me. I don’t want to grind it out. I do spend quite a bit on STO, but I have the means to do so. I do find what I get in the infinity boxes and Phoenix prize packs mostly useful. My only complaint is the kit and kit module spam. Absolutely pisses me off because they don’t sell for $h1t.
The most that will happen is slapping an 18+ sticker on the game.
I'm not so sure about that. The EU is known for their regulatory overreach.
They could force publishers and developers to publish the odds of every single item both on their website and in-game. If gamers know the odds, they might not be willing to spend as much money on loot boxes.
Furthermore they could restrict rarity. For example, the odds of getting the rarest item out of a loot box must be no smaller than 1:50.
Unverified accounts may not spend more than $20 a month.
Personal Accountability's not a big thing these days... Some folks've always got to be able to blame someone else, and play the victim, rather than just deal with it themself, or exercising self-restraint :-\ It's intellectual and emotional socialism: Someone else will pick up the tab :-\
^ Sad, but absolutely 100% true.
To be fair, personal accountability has been on decline for many decades, it's not a recent phenomenon and certainly not limited to millienials. Americans sueing each other for billions in damages every year is proof enough. "Don't put your pet in the microwave. Don't let your toddlers play with plastic bags. Warning, this deep fryer will get hot when in use. Silica gel, do not eat. Do not hold the wrong end of a chainsaw."
And may I add, any parent who lets their child have their credit/debit card at all deserves to lose their money. My children have never and will never touch my card. Not even my 20 year old daughter from my first marriage will be allowed to mess with my card.
You know, there was a time when kids use to be able to go to the local store and get beer for their parents and nobody batted an eye. Kids these days can't even be trusted to play their games without causing major financial problems. WTF happened to our kids?!?
Parents gave in and forgot to teach the meaning of the word "no".
> @azrael605 said: > > @szim said: > > azrael605 wrote: » > > > > > > The most that will happen is slapping an 18+ sticker on the game. > > > > > > > > > > I'm not so sure about that. The EU is known for their regulatory overreach. > > > > They could force publishers and developers to publish the odds of every single item both on their website and in-game. If gamers know the odds, they might not be willing to spend as much money on loot boxes. > > > > Furthermore they could restrict rarity. For example, the odds of getting the rarest item out of a loot box must be no smaller than 1:50. > > > > Unverified accounts may not spend more than $20 a month. > > > > and so on... > > You know in Vegas they print the odds on the side of the slot machines, doesn't slow anyone down. Great big signs on the walls covering odds on Blackjack etc, its the law.
And that's fine then. Do something like that, if you want to institute safeguards on "gambling" Which i wouldn't count lockboxes as, simply because they're a no-lose game. They're about as much gambling as Magic booster packs or blind bag minifigures
Likely a sad by-product of the mentality that saw the kind of idiot who would try to sue a coffee shop because "the coffee was too hot".
To be fair, there is some truth to the coffee being "too hot". See Liebeck v. McDonald's
Was Stella Liebeck stupid for putting hot coffee in her lap? Yes.
Should the coffee be so hot that it causes third degree burns requiring skin grafts? No.
In fairness, McDonald's had different temperatures for their eat in and eat out coffee. the Eat out was apparently higher because they were expecting people to not drink it immediately... or put it in their lap.
Yeah, it was too hot, but it wasn't a random stupidity thing.
> @markhawkman said:
> azrael605 wrote: »
>
> The most that will happen is slapping an 18+ sticker on the game.
>
>
>
> More like 8+...
>
> Redvenge's assessment is off in one very specific way: loot boxes are bought by people with the money to pay for them. Sure there are peeps who are willing to spend 1k a year on stuff like that.... they're also the sort of people who think a thousand dollars is a minor expense. They're called whales because they have the means to afford it. Calling it "predatory marketing" is a false flag. Your so-called victims aren't the people who actually spend the most.
I agree with this. Working through the system to exchange DI for Zen is too slow of a process for me, but that’s ok with me. I don’t want to grind it out. I do spend quite a bit on STO, but I have the means to do so. I do find what I get in the infinity boxes and Phoenix prize packs mostly useful. My only complaint is the kit and kit module spam. Absolutely pisses me off because they don’t sell for $h1t.
In my experience, a lot of the dropped loot doesn't sell for $h1t, and is a waste of a listing space on the exchange trying to sell it. Speaking purely IMO, I think it's just better to simply recycle whatever is dropped, for whatever fraction of the item's EC value may be received, because that 'bit of something', is better than the 'all of nothing' of an item not selling, and the listing space it takes up... The real issue with shifting loot, is that old supply and demand chestnut, of someone needing the item one is trying to sell, so IMO, the only things worth trying to list on the exchange, are items like keys, Queue Reward R&D packs, etc; Commodities, not Items... I just scored a vr tetryon blast assault from the Chief Engineer in Gorn Canyon. I don't tend to use either tetryon or heavy-weapons, so it's no good to me. I could put it on the exchange, but there're none of the same grade listed, so I can't gauge a reasonable price. I could just recycle it for the EC, but think I will be donating it to the fleet instead, in the hopes that it gets to the right home :cool:
"I fight for the Users!" - Tron
"I was here before you, I will be here after you are gone. I am here, regardless of your acknowledgement or acceptance..." - The Truth
Well assuming that most have seen the EA SW: Battlefront disaster..Would like to know the opinions of our fellow captians on the LOOTBOX FIASCO that has gripped nearly the whole world..I find it very amusing that such an incident has swept across the globe..
rattler2Member, Star Trek Online ModeratorPosts: 58,565Community Moderator
I don't think it will have any affect on FREE TO PLAY games like STO or TF2. Its games you have to buy like Battlefront 2 and Overwatch that will most likely be impacted.
Comments
"I was here before you, I will be here after you are gone. I am here, regardless of your acknowledgement or acceptance..." - The Truth
"I was here before you, I will be here after you are gone. I am here, regardless of your acknowledgement or acceptance..." - The Truth
That is assuming that parents are intelligent and don't allow kids the use of their credit cards to make outrageous purchases like spending thousands of dollars in a mobile game. Once parents lose control of their credit card, then it is not just whales that purchase tons of loot boxes and other virtual items.
> azrael605 wrote: »
>
> The most that will happen is slapping an 18+ sticker on the game.
>
>
>
> More like 8+...
>
> Redvenge's assessment is off in one very specific way: loot boxes are bought by people with the money to pay for them. Sure there are peeps who are willing to spend 1k a year on stuff like that.... they're also the sort of people who think a thousand dollars is a minor expense. They're called whales because they have the means to afford it. Calling it "predatory marketing" is a false flag. Your so-called victims aren't the people who actually spend the most.
I agree with this. Working through the system to exchange DI for Zen is too slow of a process for me, but that’s ok with me. I don’t want to grind it out. I do spend quite a bit on STO, but I have the means to do so. I do find what I get in the infinity boxes and Phoenix prize packs mostly useful. My only complaint is the kit and kit module spam. Absolutely pisses me off because they don’t sell for $h1t.
I'm not so sure about that. The EU is known for their regulatory overreach.
They could force publishers and developers to publish the odds of every single item both on their website and in-game. If gamers know the odds, they might not be willing to spend as much money on loot boxes.
Furthermore they could restrict rarity. For example, the odds of getting the rarest item out of a loot box must be no smaller than 1:50.
Unverified accounts may not spend more than $20 a month.
and so on...
To be fair, personal accountability has been on decline for many decades, it's not a recent phenomenon and certainly not limited to millienials. Americans sueing each other for billions in damages every year is proof enough. "Don't put your pet in the microwave. Don't let your toddlers play with plastic bags. Warning, this deep fryer will get hot when in use. Silica gel, do not eat. Do not hold the wrong end of a chainsaw."
Do I need to go on?
Parents gave in and forgot to teach the meaning of the word "no".
original join date 2010
Member: Team Trekyards. Visit Trekyards today!
> > @szim said:
> > azrael605 wrote: »
> >
> >
> > The most that will happen is slapping an 18+ sticker on the game.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > I'm not so sure about that. The EU is known for their regulatory overreach.
> >
> > They could force publishers and developers to publish the odds of every single item both on their website and in-game. If gamers know the odds, they might not be willing to spend as much money on loot boxes.
> >
> > Furthermore they could restrict rarity. For example, the odds of getting the rarest item out of a loot box must be no smaller than 1:50.
> >
> > Unverified accounts may not spend more than $20 a month.
> >
> > and so on...
>
> You know in Vegas they print the odds on the side of the slot machines, doesn't slow anyone down. Great big signs on the walls covering odds on Blackjack etc, its the law.
And that's fine then. Do something like that, if you want to institute safeguards on "gambling"
Which i wouldn't count lockboxes as, simply because they're a no-lose game. They're about as much gambling as Magic booster packs or blind bag minifigures
Yeah, it was too hot, but it wasn't a random stupidity thing.
My character Tsin'xing
"I was here before you, I will be here after you are gone. I am here, regardless of your acknowledgement or acceptance..." - The Truth
Adu-Uss Firefox NCC-93425-F (LVL 65 FED AoY ENG) UR/VR MKXV Fleet Intel Assault Cruiser (July 2016)
Jean-Uss Seratoga Ravenna (LVL 60 FED Delta ENG) UC/R MKVI Bajoran Escort (April 2018)
Dubsa-RRW Mnaudh (LVL 50 FED allied ROM Delta ENG) Warbird (May 2018)
Marop-IKS Orunthi (LVL 50 KNG Delta ENG) BoP (May 2018)
Kanak'lan-TRIBBLE (LVL 65 DOM Gamma ENG) TRIBBLE (June 2018)
ok..Didnt see it..Sorry..Where is it nested?
Adu-Uss Firefox NCC-93425-F (LVL 65 FED AoY ENG) UR/VR MKXV Fleet Intel Assault Cruiser (July 2016)
Jean-Uss Seratoga Ravenna (LVL 60 FED Delta ENG) UC/R MKVI Bajoran Escort (April 2018)
Dubsa-RRW Mnaudh (LVL 50 FED allied ROM Delta ENG) Warbird (May 2018)
Marop-IKS Orunthi (LVL 50 KNG Delta ENG) BoP (May 2018)
Kanak'lan-TRIBBLE (LVL 65 DOM Gamma ENG) TRIBBLE (June 2018)
My 2 ECs.