Most video games nowadays have some sort of option that allows you to pay real money in order to skip a level or obtain a valuable item. ’Loot boxes’, they call them. But there is a lot of controversy surrounding these loot boxes, with many people suggesting that young children buying these game add-ons could end up having a gambling addiction.
‘Loot boxes’ are effectively virtual treasure chests, which may contain the equivalent of worthless fool’s gold or majestic jewels, in the eyes of the player at least. The recipients are subject to an agonizing wait, where they might not get the “skin” (an outfit applied to their chosen character) that they want, before seeing the items that they have unlocked. The same price is paid for each, yet the reward gained from them is solely dependent on an algorithm created by the game’s programmers. Understandably, critics instantly jumped to the conclusion of the boxes being, in essence, a form of gambling.
So why do people still buy them, when they could receive something they don’t want? Either they want to support their favourite game - which could be free to play – or they love the game, are skilled at it and simply want to look good, winning for themselves its most prized items. In my opinion, it is a pointless waste of money that could be better spent on other things. I know from personal experience that, once you buy an item like this, you just end up wanting more and more of them.
So, watch out, next time you come across your next tin-game stash. It may well be that it’s the contents of your digital pockets that prove the real loot.
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