EA killed for "Surprise Mechanics", TencentGGG slides on "Mystery Box". How?

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innervation wrote:

Those who do hate mystery boxes generally have shitty arguments that boil down to 'I have no self control, please save me from myself' which, thus far in human history, isn't what politics exists for.

Surely one of the primary functions of governments & legal systems is to protect people (either from themselves or others). If not, what are they there for (other than to control people)?

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BloodPuddles420 wrote:

I see it as it's only a gamble if you can lose money from it. You can't do that with this games lootboxes.

Except since you can't "cash out", you always loose money with lootboxes (unless the items you get from them are tradeable for real money).

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Llama8 wrote:

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BloodPuddles420 wrote:

I see it as it's only a gamble if you can lose money from it. You can't do that with this games lootboxes.

Except since you can't "cash out", you always loose money with lootboxes (unless the items you get from them are tradeable for real money).

It's not really losing money when you're purchasing something. With that mindset anything you spend money on could be considered a gamble. And if there were some way to cash out it would be way closer to gambling too. You could make a little or a lot, but still not gambling since you'd at least get your money back.

What makes GGGs Mystery Boxes better then EAs?

Quality. Even if i dont like most MTX in those Boxes the Quality of the MTX is far above most of the stuff other Companies put in their Lootboxes.

You will allways be even because you always get something out of the Box that is worth more or the same then the Points you invest into the Box (doesn't help you for Duplicates but that's a complaint most players have since these boxes exist)

The Odds are given away (usually in the News Post/Forum Thread that announce these Boxes) and if you don't want to Gamble it is Guaranteed that the Contents of the Mystery Box will appear later in the Shop unless GGG states otherwise.



If you look at it the Mystery Boxes are still just Gambling.. but its galaxys apart from what EA is doing. I still don't like the Concept but i usually buy a few Boxes after i have leftover Points from Supporter Packs /shrug

You make no sense. Every game calls lootboxes differently, and the hate does not come from how they call their lootboxes in their games, the hate comes from them trying to argue that they are not gambling because they are "surprise mechanics". Have you even read or seen what that is about? Because what you said is frankly absolutely nonsensical, one thing has nothing to do with the other.

As for how they are more accepted here it's most likely because the game is free, the boxes are strictly cosmetic and because GGG never tried to disguise what they are (not that they got attention to it either). Could also be because they are limited in time and you can buy the things straight after some time. But plenty of people despise that monetization area of the game and it is gambling too, don't be mistaken.

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Aerinx wrote:

But plenty of people despise that monetization area of the game and it is gambling too, don't be mistaken.

It's only gambling if you're an idiot. If you buy a five pack like "Wonder what I'll get." it's not. If you decide you're buying it for a single item and spam them until you get it it becomes gambling. Things being random doesn't make it gambling.

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DarthSki44 wrote:

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teknik1200 wrote:

All things aside this feels like comparing apples to oranges.

How? Both are loot boxes.

EA says it's a surprise, GGG says it's a mystery.

Probably because GGG didn't use it as a tactic to get around them being gambling. They've a Mystery Boxes here because what you're going to get is, literally, a Mystery. Unknown other than the overall loot table. And they're used to support the game, not fill the wallets of some asshole golf-turf sucking investors.

Who cares what the difference is?
This isn't an EA game, and this isn't a court of law.
All you will get is supposition that doesn't mean jack squat.

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Gulch wrote:

Who cares what the difference is?
This isn't an EA game, and this isn't a court of law.
All you will get is supposition that doesn't mean jack squat.

Thanks Captain Obvious.

The entire point of the thread is wondering why TencentGGG's Mystery Boxes dont receive the same vitriol that EA's "Suprise Mechanic" boxes get.

For the record.

1. The contents of the boxes are irrelevant. Its gambling either way. You put in money, there is a chance roll, and you get a prize.

2. Tencent & EA are both large, less than ideal, Publishers

3. F2P and AAA $60 doesn't really matter when your MTX include $42 for an armor set and a $30 hideout. (We wont get into stash tabs)

4. The goal of the boxes is to make money. The only way they make money is to hit on those gambling urges. If this wasnt the case, we wouldn't get duplicates, or have nothing to do with those duplicates.


*note I think GGG is coming around and understands the optics of the last point look really bad from a monetization standpoint. Its pretty predatory. The latest mystery box at least enables some function of duplicates.

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DarthSki44 wrote:

so if EA said it was a mystery box that would have been ok? Or are you saying that both loot boxes are gambling regardless of what you call them (my take actually)

They are the same thing EA can try to wriggle out of it any way they want it won't change that and they are the same thing. I'm just saying the reason EA were killed as you put it for labelling them as surprise mechanics was because they are trying to use some word magic to get around them being loot boxes.

As to your second bit loot boxes are gambling, its blatantly obvious from any angle they are designed for 2 purposes.

To get an increased of money for cosmetics by not allowing people to directly buy what they want.

To trigger all of the gambling triggers to score whales.

Its a great strategy for increasing income but it is ethically bankrupt. The only reason I don't particularly care is I've always known they are a con so i've not bought a single one for any of the games I play. Nobody is forced to buy them.

But hey i'm from the era that loved expansion packs, I even hate dlc as that really was no different, chopped up shit to inflate the price.

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Yogoff wrote:

You will allways be even because you always get something out of the Box that is worth more or the same then the Points you invest into the Box

This idea is largely spin, designed to encourage post-fact justification of overspending.

Price and worth aren't the same thing. A company putting a price tag of $35 on a tomato doesn't mean I suddenly think tomatoes are worth $35. You aren't "even" unless you get something you would have actually voluntarily and individually paid that price for in the shop.