They're paying money to skip the time it takes to acquire the keys though gameplay. There is no gamble in the money they spend. They know exactly what they're getting: faster rewards.
They can get the keys by playing the game for free, but they're paying money to skip that gameplay. The purchase is skipped gameplay. That's not a gamble, it's a straight purchase of a specific product (faster gameplay progression).
It just occurred to me, In the United Kingdom, where I am from, it is illegal to sell lottery tickets and scratchcards to anyone who is under the age of 15.
However Cryptic will sell lockbox keys to anyone of any age without asking parental consent. The lockbox system is essentially a form of gambling and I know of two minors in my Fleet who are 13 and 14 respectively and regularly buy lockbox keys.
Since the nature of the lockbox is essentially gambling and does contain a real money element as you have to pay for Zen in order to get keys, or I know that these people have. That means that Cryptic are essentially breaking UK Law and the law of many other European States.
How are they allowed to get away with this, or is it simply that nobody has reported them yet because this sort of concept is amoral on a game that has no age limit and asks for no real identification of the person buying the zen.
So I think Cryptic are completely liable for condone this type of exploitation of younger players for financial gain as there is no age limit on which accounts can buy Zen. Why can accounts belonging to players under the age of 15 have free access to buy ingame currency with real world currency... surely there should be some sort of lock on their account until they are old enough to legally do it.
This just seems rather wrong and shady if you ask me? I would very much appreciate how Cryptic can defend its position when its essentially "selling gambling to kids".
hah! since when does the british government care about what its citizens do?! these toffs are only interested in what they want, and if something shady comes along they just ignore it as an extra source of income.
now lets get to the issue here, you can get dilithium in game to refine then throw on the exchange for zen which in turn can be used to get lockbox keys. you dont need money to throw at it for a lockbox ship. it was probably and intentionally designed this way so those parasites in the uk government cant use the system for themselves to get something off cryptic to give them a bad name which would ultimately effect their sales and standing in the gaming world. now if there was no dilithium and you had no choice but to use money for it, thats a different matter entirely and PWE knows this.
what i am getting at is that lockbox ships and lobi and such are optional just like spending money to get them since there is two other forms of ingame currency that you can use to get the stuff. with gambling you dont have a choice but to waste money on it or run for it.
T6 Miranda Hero Ship FTW. Been around since Dec 2010 on STO and bought LTS in Apr 2013 for STO.
You are buying a product with a chance of obtaining extras. You pay for the master key and use it, you gain, at the very least, a few lobi and whatever the worst item the lockbox offers is. It's more like one of those promotional contests Coke runs, where you pay two bucks for a twenty-ounce of Coke, and get a code that might give you a jacket or a car or something.
It's not gambling - it's buying a thing. If you don't think that thing is worth the price? Don't buy the thing on the hope of getting a better thing.
Waitaminute.... so if I trade in Dilithium that I grinded to get for Zen, then use that Zen to buy lockbox keys to open lockboxes with, I'm actually gambling?!?
*sings* "I like Gammera! He's so neat!!! He is full of turtle meat!!!"
"Hah! You are doomed! You're only armed with that pathetic excuse for a musical instrument!!!" *the Savage Beast moments before Lonnehart the Bard used music to soothe him... then beat him to death with his Fat Lute*
1) this is an MMO wide thing. pretty much everyone has lockboxes now. Every company will have a team of highly paid lawyers who make sure this stuff is legal before they convert the entire market to use them.
2) To be illegal there has to be a law that says it is illegal. comparing it to existing gambling laws because its kind of the same thing, from a certain angle, in your personal opinion is not good enough. There has to be a specific law written for this type of thing.
Maybe some day someone will write that law. i personally doubt it, but that is also a personal opinion and it dont mean much.
No they are not illegal. maybe (and its a big maybe) in the future they will, but not at this time.
Also - and this is just my opinion - I think if protecting children is really your goal, OP, there are some far more egregious crimes against children to focus on. I don't have any official data on this, mind you, but I suspect letting 15 year olds buy a digital product in a Star Trek video game ranks pretty low on the list of things kids need protection from.
By creating an Account or otherwise using the Service, you represent that you are at least age 18 and agree to these Terms, or that you are over 13 years of age and your parents or legal guardian have read and agreed to these Terms, and you understand and agree that we are relying upon that representation in allowing you to use the Service. Only one person may use an Account.
Nope, not yet it isn't. You kicked this can over, OP. So, why don't we sort all the worms out? Pretty serious allegations you boldly and recklessly flung about there, OP. Do you actually want someone to act upon them?
As a member of the group, and, knowing what you did about underage individuals willingly participating in the alleged "lottery", and not making any attempt to stop this behavior, are you not an accessory to PWE/Cryptic doing the things you allege they have done?
Was your place in the game materially advanced or did you benefit financially from these individuals violating the Terms of Service after you discovered they had done so?
Have you made any effort to contact local law enforcement about this alleged crime?
Are you a law enforcement officer yourself? If so, have you reported this alleged crime to your superiors and taken steps to begin charging/arresting the individuals responsible?
If you have knowledge of the persons whose accounts have violated the PWE/Cryptic Terms of Service, have you taken any steps to contact a representative of Cryptic/PWE to stop it?
Is this a genuine effort upon your part to protect and defend the underage children and their continued well being or are you merely drawing attention because of some perceived slight or injury they, or the other parties mentioned in your allegations, inflicted upon you?
unh hunh. Thought as much.
A six year old boy and his starship. Living the dream.
That is what winds me up about the boxes, average off around 4 Lobis per Box, 4! that is sickening in itself.
Ive spent alot on these boxes with just a few crappy Doff Packs, this current Box is the worst yet, they upped the prizes in previous boxes because we all moaned, now the storm has settled they have lowered it all again and got away with it.
That is what winds me up about the boxes, average off around 4 Lobis per Box, 4! that is sickening in itself.
Ive spent alot on these boxes with just a few crappy Doff Packs, this current Box is the worst yet, they upped the prizes in previous boxes because we all moaned, now the storm has settled they have lowered it all again and got away with it.
the prizes have still be upped. i got ships, traits, consoles, dilithium claims, duty officer missions. weapons. loads of stuff.
yeah i got a ton of duty officers too, but ive been getting them for a while as well on the other boxes. random is still random and not every type of box is going to give every person great stuff every time.
you could open a bunch more of the same type and get a load of nice things.
I highly doubt any law is being broken, MMO companies are usually on the ball with this kind of stuff with a professional paid legal advisor. OP, you should drop this before someone sees it as libelous.
OP: If you truly object to Cryptic's practices, rather than merely attempting to be provocative, you should boycott them by deactivating your account and stop playing. As has been pointed out previously, there is no gamble involved, and by failing to report such 'crime', you are making yourself a hypocritical accessory to it.
They circumvent any of the 'gambling laws' by always giving you something when you open a box.It might not be what you wanted,but you still get something....even if it's the electronic equivalent of donkey dung.
The PWE/Cryptic sweatshop...not where the game is made,but where the game is played!
Take back your home,end the grind!
Volunteer moderators policing the forums is like a mall cop trying to solve a murder.
I am in the UK too and we looked into this when the lock boxes first appeared. Since the addition of the minimum 4 lobi crystals the lock box is no longer a gamble. What you are actually paying for is 4 lobi crystals, that is guaranteed, there is a randomised chance that you will also receive other items. If it were the case that some of the boxes were totally empty then it would qualify as gambling.
^^THIS^^
It can't be considered a gambling because with every lockbox there is guaranteed gain of certain items. You can't open a box and get nothing. So, like mattjohnsonva said, you're basically purchasing lobi crystals. The added chance for you to get something more can be considered as a prize.
Look at it as going to a store to buy pepsi and end up receiving a grand prize for being the 1.000.000 customer.
By creating an Account or otherwise using the Service, you represent that you are at least age 18 and agree to these Terms, or that you are over 13 years of age and your parents or legal guardian have read and agreed to these Terms, and you understand and agree that we are relying upon that representation in allowing you to use the Service. Only one person may use an Account.
It can't be considered a gambling because with every lockbox there is guaranteed gain of certain items. You can't open a box and get nothing. So, like mattjohnsonva said, you're basically purchasing lobi crystals. The added chance for you to get something more can be considered as a prize.
Look at it as going to a store to buy pepsi and end up receiving a grand prize for being the 1.000.000 customer.
I wonder if this is the real reason for the addition of Lobi? It seemed odd at first, but now it makes a lot of sense...
More of a legal challange would be provided over challanging it as "explotative".. or lock boxes and the like being classifies as a "attractive nuicence".
The issues with dealing with minors children playing the game, is kids for the most part just simply do not know.. And in western countries.. and in developing nations where you often time have both parents working in urban clusters, parents simply cannot supervise thier childrens activities to the point of protecting them from corporations that simply see kids as another market share. What people should do, and what they actually can manage to pull off are often two different situations.
Though if anything, the lockboxes provide a "goods and services" reward..and virtual goods are still considered a product. What Cryptic does not do is give a break down of the odds, which is something I've strongly objected to, as have others.. Even chucky cheese has to publish the odds of getting any given "prize"
Eventually legislative bodies will get around to creating new law to deal with this.. It is an issue, and it qualifies as more then a little sneaky. One of the reasons there are so many laws concerning disclosure is when business folk get eye ball locked on making money for thier company (and making the stockholders happy with them, and of course recieveing that all important "performance bonus") Is greed and desire tend to kick in, and the morality of the situation takes a strong back seat.. assuming its not kicked out the door and into traffic.
Preditory practices concerning good and services are nothing new to trek fans. I recall during the 80's a line of children "Trek" costume for halloween that were imported into the us that had a nasty tendancy to catch fire from the candles in halloween pumpkins...
Children being involved pushes a great many buttons, but the issue that bothers consumer of this product on THIS particular issue, no matter what else is trotted out (is it gambling...looks like, smells like, tastes like etc) is /has to be determined by the courts or elected officials.. It's going to be a majority rule sort of issue, but first, elected officials need to have it brought to thier attention.. WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMEN< SENATOR< GOVORNER< STATE ASSEMPLYMEN. Bring it to thier attention...
I live in the SF bay area, and trust me, I really do not think that Senator Barbara Boxer plays STO (though she might.. prtty savy woman).
No. The real objection is we simply are not told what the chances are of any specific result, and THAT makes us suspicious. Why? Because if the odds of a particualr result are not stated up front, then we belive (and rightly so) that the chance percentages can and will be manipulated to provide the most profit for the provider (PWE/CRYPTI)
Now, it's likely that thier innocent as new fallen snow... but I personally don't belive so...
And the reason is simple... it EASY MONEY... and the lure of easy money is damd hard to resist.
What I want, and what I've seen as the subtext on this thread and every other thread is a meem that says to cryptic and PWI is
"WHy are you being sneeky about it when you don't have to be?"
The reason may be simply that the odds are utterly horrid to get one of the desired virtual products from any given lockbox. And they refuse to disclose what the odds are for that very reason. The obvious fear is that it would impact the sale of lock box keys, which is apparently a rather lucrative source of income for PWI.
I'd say the odds are quite good that that IS the issue from the corporate side. The clues are right there in front of us all. Game wide announcements to tease you.....
"player X has won/recieved a (item name)" to bring to YOUR attention that you don't have one of those.. is it legal?.. it skirts the edge of acceptable corporate behavior, and it may NOT be legal.. As a said in a previous post untill some one brings it before the courts for a legal test, it doesn't matter what thier corporate council says... Untill a judgement is made against it in a court, or new law is created concerning it, or is determined to be a violation of gaming laws or other regulation, in the business entities home venue (which in this case only needs to be the state of California, United States of America). Possibly a case could even be made under financial disclosure laws, as it does apparently provide a substantial amount of the companies income.
SO, you want to see a permamant solution? Bring it to the attention of some consumer right groups/lobbies, and your elected officials. I don't like it, but I'm just ONE voice..
Make yourselves heard.
Lockboxes bring about gambling problems, but it is just like those toy vending machines that has that special gold toy that is extremely rare and kids want. If lockboxes are considered as children exploitation, then those are two and we should remove every toy vending machine.
Buying a random in-game item is not gambling (online or otherwise) in English law. (Yes, I'm British and I have a working knowledge of English law, particularly in an online context.)
If there were some way to "cash out" your acquisition for real money, you might just possibly have a case. But there isn't. Well, not within the TOS of the game at least.
Conflating this issue with the "getting kids to spend their parents' money" one just muddies the waters to no good end. Personally, I don't see any meaningful difference between raiding Mum's purse to buy ****, or raiding her credit card to buy STO gear... either way, Mum has given birth to a little **** and should maybe have done a better job of raising him/her.
Basically, this dog won't hunt. No, Cryptic is not breaking international law by selling lockbox keys.
Yes but Cryptic just allow that to happen when its their responsibility to make sure that children cannot access these features. There should be some sort of lock on buying zen for people with accounts under a certain age, to protect both minors and their parents.
Not reading any further comments after this one, because the OP seems focused on stopping children from buying keys.
As a parent of three children I can tell you it is not Cryptic or PWE's job to "protect" my kids. If my kid swipes my credit card and buys stuff with it, that is my failure as a parent to teach them better.
You know what else I just realized is considered gambling? The game itself. The reason? Random drops. Every time you play the game, you're gambling on getting a better piece of gear. Hmmm.....(This is reducto ad absurdum, for those of you who didn't get it.
Now drop the Drumhead and use your head.
I used to be BoredZero. But then I had to switch over.
Might have missed it in this thread...but hmmm...pretty sure you don't have to spend any form of real life currency to get zen (a digital currency) ...pretty darn sure you can spend Dilthium (another digital currency) and get it...hmmm...just a thought all.
"If everyone used Macs, we'd be working on how to get to Alpha Centauri rather than how to get to Mars."
Oh look someone with the name 'Warbird' in his handle is coming in and starting some anti-cryptic, "legal" arguments regarding the lockboxes. makes me wonder if this is the same "WARBIRD" that got banned some months ago, after reacting badly when the community disproved this exact question being asked yet again. You remember the guy who started calling people names and such.
At least this "Warbird" seems (somewhat) more reasoned in his approach.
There are a hundred reasons why your assertation that somehow Cryptic is breaking international law by having lockboxes in their games is wrong. Many people above have supplied examples of why your conclusion is false. No need to say them again.
But I will ask this.
Is this truly driven by a desire to stop gambling boxes which tread on a thin moral line, and you believe breaks international law, OR is this just (like the Old Warbird) someone with a mad on for Cryptic ?
If indeed you are one of the morally superior, and come from that high ground, I would expect to also see you going after many other game companies as well. Is DCUniverse online available where you live ?
MY GOD ! they have lockboxes there.
How about Lord of the Rings Online ?
OH NO lockboxes there too.
Fallen Earth ?
Yup they have these locked boxes as well.
I think you get the point.
If you truly are the crusader you present yourself as, then I expect to see a Crusade against all these game companies.
Instead, I just see you coming in here bad mouthing Cryptic (and using a variation on a forum handle that was a banned user who also bad mouthed Cryptic).
You dredge up a LONG disproven argument and use it as a way to accuse the company that makes the game of breaking international law.
You Sir, are a real winner.
Looking forward to that Crusade !
It just occurred to me, In the United Kingdom, where I am from, it is illegal to sell lottery tickets and scratchcards to anyone who is under the age of 15.
However Cryptic will sell lockbox keys to anyone of any age without asking parental consent. The lockbox system is essentially a form of gambling and I know of two minors in my Fleet who are 13 and 14 respectively and regularly buy lockbox keys.
Since the nature of the lockbox is essentially gambling and does contain a real money element as you have to pay for Zen in order to get keys, or I know that these people have. That means that Cryptic are essentially breaking UK Law and the law of many other European States.
How are they allowed to get away with this, or is it simply that nobody has reported them yet because this sort of concept is amoral on a game that has no age limit and asks for no real identification of the person buying the zen.
So I think Cryptic are completely liable for condone this type of exploitation of younger players for financial gain as there is no age limit on which accounts can buy Zen. Why can accounts belonging to players under the age of 15 have free access to buy ingame currency with real world currency... surely there should be some sort of lock on their account until they are old enough to legally do it.
This just seems rather wrong and shady if you ask me? I would very much appreciate how Cryptic can defend its position when its essentially "selling gambling to kids".
LOL id be more worried about the US gov reading ur mail listening to ur phone calls and looking at the data you send and recive.:eek:
but since we are americans i guess its alright for the US to ilegaly look everyones elses data.
Comments
They're paying money to skip the time it takes to acquire the keys though gameplay. There is no gamble in the money they spend. They know exactly what they're getting: faster rewards.
They can get the keys by playing the game for free, but they're paying money to skip that gameplay. The purchase is skipped gameplay. That's not a gamble, it's a straight purchase of a specific product (faster gameplay progression).
How is this different, exactly?
(sorry if that has been mentioned; I just skimmed the thread)
hah! since when does the british government care about what its citizens do?! these toffs are only interested in what they want, and if something shady comes along they just ignore it as an extra source of income.
now lets get to the issue here, you can get dilithium in game to refine then throw on the exchange for zen which in turn can be used to get lockbox keys. you dont need money to throw at it for a lockbox ship. it was probably and intentionally designed this way so those parasites in the uk government cant use the system for themselves to get something off cryptic to give them a bad name which would ultimately effect their sales and standing in the gaming world. now if there was no dilithium and you had no choice but to use money for it, thats a different matter entirely and PWE knows this.
what i am getting at is that lockbox ships and lobi and such are optional just like spending money to get them since there is two other forms of ingame currency that you can use to get the stuff. with gambling you dont have a choice but to waste money on it or run for it.
Been around since Dec 2010 on STO and bought LTS in Apr 2013 for STO.
It's not gambling - it's buying a thing. If you don't think that thing is worth the price? Don't buy the thing on the hope of getting a better thing.
And since they are in your Fleet, are you not aiding and abetting? Not to mention leading to their delinquency.
Wow, you raise a good point. This op might be the real criminal here. I guess if you live in a glass house you really should not throw stones...
"Hah! You are doomed! You're only armed with that pathetic excuse for a musical instrument!!!" *the Savage Beast moments before Lonnehart the Bard used music to soothe him... then beat him to death with his Fat Lute*
1) this is an MMO wide thing. pretty much everyone has lockboxes now. Every company will have a team of highly paid lawyers who make sure this stuff is legal before they convert the entire market to use them.
2) To be illegal there has to be a law that says it is illegal. comparing it to existing gambling laws because its kind of the same thing, from a certain angle, in your personal opinion is not good enough. There has to be a specific law written for this type of thing.
Maybe some day someone will write that law. i personally doubt it, but that is also a personal opinion and it dont mean much.
No they are not illegal. maybe (and its a big maybe) in the future they will, but not at this time.
http://www.perfectworld.com/about/terms
This conversation is over.
As a member of the group, and, knowing what you did about underage individuals willingly participating in the alleged "lottery", and not making any attempt to stop this behavior, are you not an accessory to PWE/Cryptic doing the things you allege they have done?
Was your place in the game materially advanced or did you benefit financially from these individuals violating the Terms of Service after you discovered they had done so?
Have you made any effort to contact local law enforcement about this alleged crime?
Are you a law enforcement officer yourself? If so, have you reported this alleged crime to your superiors and taken steps to begin charging/arresting the individuals responsible?
If you have knowledge of the persons whose accounts have violated the PWE/Cryptic Terms of Service, have you taken any steps to contact a representative of Cryptic/PWE to stop it?
Is this a genuine effort upon your part to protect and defend the underage children and their continued well being or are you merely drawing attention because of some perceived slight or injury they, or the other parties mentioned in your allegations, inflicted upon you?
unh hunh. Thought as much.
Ive spent alot on these boxes with just a few crappy Doff Packs, this current Box is the worst yet, they upped the prizes in previous boxes because we all moaned, now the storm has settled they have lowered it all again and got away with it.
the prizes have still be upped. i got ships, traits, consoles, dilithium claims, duty officer missions. weapons. loads of stuff.
yeah i got a ton of duty officers too, but ive been getting them for a while as well on the other boxes. random is still random and not every type of box is going to give every person great stuff every time.
you could open a bunch more of the same type and get a load of nice things.
Take back your home,end the grind!
Volunteer moderators policing the forums is like a mall cop trying to solve a murder.
^^THIS^^
It can't be considered a gambling because with every lockbox there is guaranteed gain of certain items. You can't open a box and get nothing. So, like mattjohnsonva said, you're basically purchasing lobi crystals. The added chance for you to get something more can be considered as a prize.
Look at it as going to a store to buy pepsi and end up receiving a grand prize for being the 1.000.000 customer.
Does this mean that a certain fleet can stop calling RPers child molesters, since by definition you have to be an adult to play?
If this is the case, do you have any laws to prosecute minors for stealing...or parents being stupid.
My character Tsin'xing
More of a legal challange would be provided over challanging it as "explotative".. or lock boxes and the like being classifies as a "attractive nuicence".
The issues with dealing with minors children playing the game, is kids for the most part just simply do not know.. And in western countries.. and in developing nations where you often time have both parents working in urban clusters, parents simply cannot supervise thier childrens activities to the point of protecting them from corporations that simply see kids as another market share. What people should do, and what they actually can manage to pull off are often two different situations.
Though if anything, the lockboxes provide a "goods and services" reward..and virtual goods are still considered a product. What Cryptic does not do is give a break down of the odds, which is something I've strongly objected to, as have others.. Even chucky cheese has to publish the odds of getting any given "prize"
Eventually legislative bodies will get around to creating new law to deal with this.. It is an issue, and it qualifies as more then a little sneaky. One of the reasons there are so many laws concerning disclosure is when business folk get eye ball locked on making money for thier company (and making the stockholders happy with them, and of course recieveing that all important "performance bonus") Is greed and desire tend to kick in, and the morality of the situation takes a strong back seat.. assuming its not kicked out the door and into traffic.
Preditory practices concerning good and services are nothing new to trek fans. I recall during the 80's a line of children "Trek" costume for halloween that were imported into the us that had a nasty tendancy to catch fire from the candles in halloween pumpkins...
Children being involved pushes a great many buttons, but the issue that bothers consumer of this product on THIS particular issue, no matter what else is trotted out (is it gambling...looks like, smells like, tastes like etc) is /has to be determined by the courts or elected officials.. It's going to be a majority rule sort of issue, but first, elected officials need to have it brought to thier attention.. WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMEN< SENATOR< GOVORNER< STATE ASSEMPLYMEN. Bring it to thier attention...
I live in the SF bay area, and trust me, I really do not think that Senator Barbara Boxer plays STO (though she might.. prtty savy woman).
No. The real objection is we simply are not told what the chances are of any specific result, and THAT makes us suspicious. Why? Because if the odds of a particualr result are not stated up front, then we belive (and rightly so) that the chance percentages can and will be manipulated to provide the most profit for the provider (PWE/CRYPTI)
Now, it's likely that thier innocent as new fallen snow... but I personally don't belive so...
And the reason is simple... it EASY MONEY... and the lure of easy money is damd hard to resist.
What I want, and what I've seen as the subtext on this thread and every other thread is a meem that says to cryptic and PWI is
"WHy are you being sneeky about it when you don't have to be?"
The reason may be simply that the odds are utterly horrid to get one of the desired virtual products from any given lockbox. And they refuse to disclose what the odds are for that very reason. The obvious fear is that it would impact the sale of lock box keys, which is apparently a rather lucrative source of income for PWI.
I'd say the odds are quite good that that IS the issue from the corporate side. The clues are right there in front of us all. Game wide announcements to tease you.....
"player X has won/recieved a (item name)" to bring to YOUR attention that you don't have one of those.. is it legal?.. it skirts the edge of acceptable corporate behavior, and it may NOT be legal.. As a said in a previous post untill some one brings it before the courts for a legal test, it doesn't matter what thier corporate council says... Untill a judgement is made against it in a court, or new law is created concerning it, or is determined to be a violation of gaming laws or other regulation, in the business entities home venue (which in this case only needs to be the state of California, United States of America). Possibly a case could even be made under financial disclosure laws, as it does apparently provide a substantial amount of the companies income.
SO, you want to see a permamant solution? Bring it to the attention of some consumer right groups/lobbies, and your elected officials. I don't like it, but I'm just ONE voice..
Make yourselves heard.
Khemaraa sends.
If there were some way to "cash out" your acquisition for real money, you might just possibly have a case. But there isn't. Well, not within the TOS of the game at least.
Conflating this issue with the "getting kids to spend their parents' money" one just muddies the waters to no good end. Personally, I don't see any meaningful difference between raiding Mum's purse to buy ****, or raiding her credit card to buy STO gear... either way, Mum has given birth to a little **** and should maybe have done a better job of raising him/her.
Basically, this dog won't hunt. No, Cryptic is not breaking international law by selling lockbox keys.
Not reading any further comments after this one, because the OP seems focused on stopping children from buying keys.
As a parent of three children I can tell you it is not Cryptic or PWE's job to "protect" my kids. If my kid swipes my credit card and buys stuff with it, that is my failure as a parent to teach them better.
Now drop the Drumhead and use your head.
At least this "Warbird" seems (somewhat) more reasoned in his approach.
There are a hundred reasons why your assertation that somehow Cryptic is breaking international law by having lockboxes in their games is wrong. Many people above have supplied examples of why your conclusion is false. No need to say them again.
But I will ask this.
Is this truly driven by a desire to stop gambling boxes which tread on a thin moral line, and you believe breaks international law, OR is this just (like the Old Warbird) someone with a mad on for Cryptic ?
If indeed you are one of the morally superior, and come from that high ground, I would expect to also see you going after many other game companies as well. Is DCUniverse online available where you live ?
MY GOD ! they have lockboxes there.
How about Lord of the Rings Online ?
OH NO lockboxes there too.
Fallen Earth ?
Yup they have these locked boxes as well.
I think you get the point.
If you truly are the crusader you present yourself as, then I expect to see a Crusade against all these game companies.
Instead, I just see you coming in here bad mouthing Cryptic (and using a variation on a forum handle that was a banned user who also bad mouthed Cryptic).
You dredge up a LONG disproven argument and use it as a way to accuse the company that makes the game of breaking international law.
You Sir, are a real winner.
Looking forward to that Crusade !
Nope.
LOL id be more worried about the US gov reading ur mail listening to ur phone calls and looking at the data you send and recive.:eek:
but since we are americans i guess its alright for the US to ilegaly look everyones elses data.