FTC Pledges Loot Crate Investigation

The Federal Trade Commission today agreed to investigate video game loot boxes, following an official request by Senator Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.).

[Shikoku]

Finally someone is listening. Im sure with the awful ultra pro business slant our government has it will be tough to get any real legislation but its a start.

[Razzer]

"awful ultra pro business slant"

yeah...jobs suck

[Shikoku]

Spoken like a true idiot. You're from Alabama makes perfect sense now.

[syphon32]

His comment isn't anti jobs, it's anti pro business as it relates to being anti consumer as in loot boxes suck dirty donkey balls and allow anti consumer video game companies like EA, UBISOFT, and recently Bethesda to create games that are so jacked up you need some mechanic or system to balance it out..enter the loot box,loot create whatever the fuck you wanna call it. It's all bullshit really, in my humble opinion 😁

[Razzer]

"it's anti pro business as it relates...."

Uh...no, that comment wasn't related to anything but his own political view.

"It's all bullshit really"

Don't buy them. That is your freedom. Why do you think you should be to take away my freedom to buy what I want to buy?

[Shikoku]

No actually thats a fact. Nothing to do with a politcal view sweetheart, you couldnt guess my political view if I slapped you with it.

[Razzer]

Then you don't understand what the word "awful" means.

[Shikoku]

Haha whatever you need to tell yourself.

[neutralgamer1992]

Razzer

Your freedom is costing us other gamers who don't want to buy Loot boxes. So you want choice go play mobile games and buy all the Loot boxes

In full priced games they don't belong. Ubi doing it in assassin creed than forcing people to buy boosters to enjoy their game. Pay to win or pay to not play the games isn't freedom of choice its just idiotic

[Razzer]

@neutralgamer1992

Actually, not true. If I bought a loot box (which I have never done, btw) then I don't affect you in any way. I made a transaction with another party and you had absolutely nothing to do with it. Whether or not it is idiotic in your view doesn't change anything. Some people believe video games overall are idiotic. Should they be allowed to prevent us from buying video games?

And Ubisoft offers a "booster" that speeds up your leveling or garners more in-game money. The game is completely enjoyable without purchasing either of those items. Neither of those are loot boxes either.

[Srhalo]

Razzer, while these aren't issues being discussed specifically here, business can over step it's bounds, jobs aren't always good. Are child labor jobs good, or blood diamond jobs good are sex slaves good jobs? All those jobs are producing wealth for someone but that doesn't mean they aren't extremely exploitative. Yea jobs are good but there needs to be checks and balances on society and systems.

And more on topic I'd like to remind you that Loot Boxes and MT's have existed for years, if the companies had self regulated and not continually pressed more and more exploitative methods the government wouldn't have gotten involved at all. The government was pretty much totally hands off until last year when all the big publishers decided to go all in and tried to put loot boxes in every game. There is no way that would have ended well for anyone except the people at the top big publishers payroll.

And I'd just like to remind you that more profits RARELY equal more jobs these days... The vast majority of the time more profits just means bigger bonuses for the 1%.

[whothedog]

Less censorship and regulations is better in my opinion. You could not support the game, game will fail and maybe they will learn like star wars and shadow of war but yes lets get the gov involved cause you didn't get that epic skin you wanted. I rather not have gov involved in gaming and have the people/parents buying the loot boxes accountable.

And below the card packs are a great example, real life situation too, you buy card packs not knowing whats in them, mostly garbage with a chance of a good rare item, I don't see much difference. You want them regulated too? Its not hard to not support something you don't like.

Also Polygon pfff

[rainslacker]

FTC investigating can either be good or bad. FTC isn't exactly the paradigm of making wise decisions. If they decide this isn't gambling, then that pretty much kills this whole thing dead in the US.

Even if they find it not proper, they'll just apply regulations to it. Those regulations often are either over-bearing, but easily worked around, or completely ineffectual to solve whatever problem may exist.

[bluefox755]

Yeah, because government getting involved with big corporations totally always ends favorably for the consumer and not the corporation. /s

[DaDrunkenJester]

"Ultra pro business slant" definitely not in California lol

[Razzer]

In gambling there is the risk you lose your money and get nothing return. Loot boxes are not gambling. And no one is forced to buy or pay for a loot box. It is an individual choice and freedom. This is a waste of government resources.

[Shikoku]

Refer to previous comment.

[Razzer]

edit: not worth my time

[InTheZoneAC]

Why did you respond to me, I was commenting on Razer saying this was stupid to ban loot boxes.

[Notellin]

I can't believe you're still arguing with this guy. After he made this idiotic statement I think it's safe to say he doesn't understand how the system works.

"Don't buy them. That is your freedom. Why do you think you should be to take away my freedom to buy what I want to buy?"

I could list tons of things our government won't allow us to buy.

His opinion is his opinion no matter how terrible and misguided it may be.

[InTheZoneAC]

Hey there little sjw kid who probably hangs out on reddit defending Jason Shreier and other gaming activists, your definition of gambling isn't correct. Thus, your argument goes out the window. Please try again.

[Shikoku]

Nope his definition is actually correct as he lives in Europe where they have already begun banning loot boxes. So hey there little corprate shill your definition of gambling isnt correct. Thus your argument goes out the window. Please try again.

[rainslacker]

No one is forced to gamble either. Doesn't mean that gambling isn't heavily regulated. Some forms of gambling you always win something, and in many states, that kind of gambling is still regulated.

[Shikoku]

Exactly

[Razzer]

And in many states where gambling is illegal there are stores where you can buy a box or bag or package that contains items of which the details are unknown. Trading card packs are one such example.

[rainslacker]

@Razzer

So, those trading cards exist. Maybe they need to be looked at as well. Same with all those little balls with toys inside that you don't know what you get.

Gambling is gambling, and perhaps that kind of stuff should be regulated as well.

Just because there are equivalent examples of something that isn't considered gambling, doesn't mean those things are healthy and shouldn't be regulated. When companies actually make a term to cover the people they make the most money off of with these practices, then perhaps it's something that needs to be looked at to see if consumer protection is needed. While I'm sure there are those that spend too much on those unknown purchase things like cards or pokeballs, there's a limit in terms of availability, whereas loot boxes, someone can easily rack up thousands of dollars in debt without realizing it.

On top of that, at least with those other things, you get something of tangible value, that can be traded. As far as I know, one cant trade the crap they don't want when brought through loot boxes.

[paradigmfellow]

I see that you have been conned. Shame on you.

[T2X]

Precisely. Fools don't understand that truth. But keep crying. This government has far more pressing issues than worrying about foolish loot boxes that don't add much to any game experience anyway.

[King_Noctis]

Let me ask you something. Do you think the government consists of only one entity? They don’t have different departments to handle different issues?

[william_cade]

Random chance (because you almost never get the item desired) is gambling not purchasing a specific product, which would be buying a specific product and getting the exact same product.

[jmtstan]

the point is, when you beef up the game difficulties, and present the option for IAP, this is wrong. Battlefront 2 for example... when it come out u need to at least grind for 40 hours to get 1 character unlocked, or you can pay to unlock.

[AspiringProGenji]

Good!

Lootboxes are gambling whether you like it or not, and it needs to be stopped

[EzyPeezy]

There are many examples of loot box systems where consumers will pay money and receive items they already have. Items that are completely pointless and redundant due to the gamer already having them or other such reason. People arguing that buying packets of cards or real world loot boxes is the same thing? They are wrong. In the real world you have something physical and tangible that a real world value can be placed on. Electronic loot boxes with redundant or unusable items have no value whatsoever and have been bought with money by a consumer unknowing what theyll receive prior. That is 100% gambling. There are loot box systems not like this, but the fact gamblingesque loot boxes do exist is reason enough for an investigation.

[Platformgamer]

every country should do the same as belgium

[Xaevi]

hope this ends this crap once and for all. telling me they ain't seeing a good amount of return as a way to justify these shite practices yet they crap out AAA games yearly. excuses excuses

[crazyCoconuts]

Thank God for government protecting us dumb folk from falling victim to these evil companies that prey on our inability to discriminate on how we spend our money. I guess since over 50% of the US population receives some form of welfare from the government, they're really just looking after their own money, so it's all good.

[william_cade]

good

[Cmoney007]

I think Razzer might work for EA. He is all over this article. Do you just accept anything from these companies, Razzer? Anyways, the truth is that loot boxes are becoming a big problem in games that are already sixty dollars or more.