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EA reportedly under criminal investigation in Belgium due to FIFA's loot boxes

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Re: EA reportedly under criminal investigation in Belgium due to FIFA's loot boxes

#21

Post by pjc50 »

chinathrow wrote: post #11
Insanity wrote: post #9

When playing Battlefield 5 beta last weekend, I was actually thinking about this. I'm wondering how they'll approach it in that game. I have a bit of a double feeling about this as a Belgian - on the one hand I think it's a good direction for the industry. We didn't have that crap a decade ago and I'll be happy to see it removed. OTOH, I hope they don't just remove content for the Belgian market as it'd potentially c…

> It is EA after all, a company I don't have a lot of faith in. Why are you playing their games then?

The world is full of great-to-acceptable products (especially media) with no exact substitutes produced by shitty companies.

Re: EA reportedly under criminal investigation in Belgium due to FIFA's loot boxes

#22

Post by mbel »

daemin wrote: post #12
mbel wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Video game publishers have been trying consistently to implement a "less for more" attitude when it comes to their products. Isn't maximizing profits just a natural consequence of having a for-profit business? It's not just evil video game publishers, everybody wants to sell less for more.

The problem is that in their pursuit of profit they are creating slot machines with the actual game on the side. Then they are crippling the game so that you have to use the slot machine to have any sense of fun while playing the game. Therefore there are two choices: Either they get regulated as other slot machine makers around the world, including being taxed as both a slot machine maker and as a slot machine opera…

Yeah, I'm absolutely aware what is happening here.

Of course if they are creating slot machines they should follow the related regulations. However there is nothing that forces them to make actual games. If they can make business by selling virtual slot machines let them do so as long as it's legal. After all they are not the only game publisher out there and if there is an actual need for quality games it will be fulfilled by other publishers.

Re: EA reportedly under criminal investigation in Belgium due to FIFA's loot boxes

#23

Post by dtech »

yAnonymous wrote: post #14

Ultimately, most publishers will probably handle it like Valve, who have found a brilliant workaround: Show players the contents of the next box they buy, which makes it not gambling. I hate it, but it's a very elegant solution to avoid any legal problems.

That seems like a hack that won't hold up in court. Now it's still loot box gambling, but with the n+1 th box instead.

Re: EA reportedly under criminal investigation in Belgium due to FIFA's loot boxes

#24

Post by dtech »

Crpt774 wrote: post #20

Pretty sure Valve haven't actually removed lootboxes, they just show which common reward you will get if you are in Belgium, Rares are still random. When you consider that the above is enough that Valve haven't been touched yet, it just feels like EA are digging their heels for the sake of it. On the other hand, these are the same people who gave us BF2 and have been releasing a near identical game every year since t…

> it just feels like EA are digging their heels for the sake of it.

That's exactly it. They are challenging this in court because they don't want to lose their loot boxes by this enforcement spreading to other countries.

They could pursue it all the way up to EU supreme court. That would set a binding legal precedent for the EU, hopefully not in favor of EA.

Re: EA reportedly under criminal investigation in Belgium due to FIFA's loot boxes

#26

Post by s3m4j »

dtech wrote: post #23
yAnonymous wrote: post #14

Ultimately, most publishers will probably handle it like Valve, who have found a brilliant workaround: Show players the contents of the next box they buy, which makes it not gambling. I hate it, but it's a very elegant solution to avoid any legal problems.

That seems like a hack that won't hold up in court. Now it's still loot box gambling, but with the n+1 th box instead.

Actually I think that's a common salesman trick ? Put the product in the hand of the customer, so that they feel they already have it, then they have to pay.

Re: EA reportedly under criminal investigation in Belgium due to FIFA's loot boxes

#27

Post by curiousgal »

chinathrow wrote: post #11
Insanity wrote: post #9

When playing Battlefield 5 beta last weekend, I was actually thinking about this. I'm wondering how they'll approach it in that game. I have a bit of a double feeling about this as a Belgian - on the one hand I think it's a good direction for the industry. We didn't have that crap a decade ago and I'll be happy to see it removed. OTOH, I hope they don't just remove content for the Belgian market as it'd potentially c…

> It is EA after all, a company I don't have a lot of faith in. Why are you playing their games then?

Exactly. People like to complain about how awful a company is and yet proceed to keep them in business.

Re: EA reportedly under criminal investigation in Belgium due to FIFA's loot boxes

#28

Post by xg15 »

chinathrow wrote: post #11
Insanity wrote: post #9

When playing Battlefield 5 beta last weekend, I was actually thinking about this. I'm wondering how they'll approach it in that game. I have a bit of a double feeling about this as a Belgian - on the one hand I think it's a good direction for the industry. We didn't have that crap a decade ago and I'll be happy to see it removed. OTOH, I hope they don't just remove content for the Belgian market as it'd potentially c…

> It is EA after all, a company I don't have a lot of faith in. Why are you playing their games then?

Arguments like this is what I find entertaining about (pure) free-market advocates.

They argue that regulation is not needed because, if there is a problem, consumers would vote with their wallets to remove it - and when the consumers inexplicably fail to do so, the advocates get mad and blame the consumers instead of adjusting their theory.

Re: EA reportedly under criminal investigation in Belgium due to FIFA's loot boxes

#29

Post by Spooky23 »

daemin wrote: post #12
mbel wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Video game publishers have been trying consistently to implement a "less for more" attitude when it comes to their products. Isn't maximizing profits just a natural consequence of having a for-profit business? It's not just evil video game publishers, everybody wants to sell less for more.

The problem is that in their pursuit of profit they are creating slot machines with the actual game on the side. Then they are crippling the game so that you have to use the slot machine to have any sense of fun while playing the game. Therefore there are two choices: Either they get regulated as other slot machine makers around the world, including being taxed as both a slot machine maker and as a slot machine opera…

The culture has changed and is ok with gambling being inserted everywhere, especially in tech circles.

Look at the threads about daily fantasy sports in HN. Many impassioned comments about how the ability to bet on sports is freedom, etc..

Re: EA reportedly under criminal investigation in Belgium due to FIFA's loot boxes

#30

Post by buckminster »

dtech wrote: post #23
yAnonymous wrote: post #14

Ultimately, most publishers will probably handle it like Valve, who have found a brilliant workaround: Show players the contents of the next box they buy, which makes it not gambling. I hate it, but it's a very elegant solution to avoid any legal problems.

That seems like a hack that won't hold up in court. Now it's still loot box gambling, but with the n+1 th box instead.

Exactly. You're buying a known thing and an option. What's the option for? That's the gamble.
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