Loot Boxes are Literally Worse Than Pay-To-Win

Some time has passed since I wrote my article about loot boxes and since then, much has happened. While there have been fewer controversies, discussion on the topic still happens fairly often and there has been some relatively recent news regarding regulating them. By constantly exposing myself to this discussion, I have developed a new perspective on the issue and in this article, I wish to share my enlightenment.

The Worst Kind of Microtransaction

While microtransactions in themselves are a revenue stream the gaming industry shouldn't have since they should be able to make do with game sales alone, there's no questioning that loot boxes are the worst type of microtransaction invented. The randomized rewards are solely meant to cause frustration and artificially lengthen grinds so that companies can line their pockets. In fact, I can't think of a single time I got something good out of a loot box this week since I've only gotten pointless common sprays and rare recolor skins after opening three in Overwatch. It doesn't matter that I got five legendaries last week from just my Arcade loot boxes since life and its experiences is about the here and now. The fact is that right now I'm upset.

Kids Don't Care About Winning Anymore

Once upon a time I used to play soccer and other sports as a kid. It was exhilarating to try to win by accomplishing whatever objective was set before me and collaborating with my team that was usually a circle of friends I never talk to anymore. These bygone days do not exist in 2018 though. Heck, I haven't seen kids doing anything competitive for a solid decade in fact. They're more content with tapping away on their phones or tablets and anyone with half a brain knows there's games for both of those devices that have loot boxes in them. In fact, these games are especially devious since they try to disassociate themselves from their loot box brethren by using other labels like "gacha."

All this matters because of two reasons. The first is that kids do not have the same competitive mindset that I grew up with. The second is that kids are a vulnerable demographic and the games they're playing are luring them into spending their allowance (and possibly more) on these virtual pachinko machines. In fact, I have a colleague whose kids have blown $20 last month on some Fate mobile game just for a chance at some virtual characters that look nice to them. That may not sound like a lot but over a year that's a whopping $240 blown on what sounds awfully like gambling. There's no question this needs to be banned and especially made inaccessible to these young minds.

Games Shouldn't Have Randomized Elements At All

At this point I realized there was something fundamentally wrong with games in general and it goes right back to tabletop RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons. I remembered that those games use dice a lot to determine random results that can ultimately result in a highly frustrating experience. I thought games were supposed to be about having nonstop fun and dealing with adversity is objectively not fun at all.

So why not just remove randomized elements entirely? Any time you could get a critical hit you also might not. I don't remember there being any sense of wonder when opening a treasure chest with a randomly generated reward. The same goes for procedurally generated games that seem to use their systems to produce randomized worlds not to entertain the player but to waste their time as they explore nonstop to find what they want. The truth is there is comfort in consistency.

Final Statements

At the end of the day the title of the article really says it all. I have never felt such frustration from microtransactions than I have when it comes to randomizing my rewards even if I get double my money's worth. Getting stomped by someone with better equipment in a game seems so minor by comparison. Therefore, on the day that this article is published, I announce that I have had a change of heart regarding loot boxes.